Awatmath.1169
net.arpa-uucp,net.news
utzoo!decvax!watmath!bstempleton
Fri Dec  4 18:27:05 1981
Routing schemes in USEnet.
I'm unsure if this idea has come out before, but I'll throw it out anyway.

It's lots of fun to see big long streams of system names in your mail
messages, but I don't think this is really necessary or convenient.  It
seems to me one could easily set up a scheme to provide a mailing address
sytnax that's easier to work with and read.  The idea is to allow 'pointers'
in the uucp system name tables at a given site.  This could either be done
as additional lines in the L.sys file, or in a new file altogether, for use
only by mail and uusend.

Essentially, let's say I'm here on system watmath connected to decvax.
I want to send a message to Mark Horton.  To do this, I give his name as
'decvax!cbosgd!cbosg!mark' (or use my alias for him).  I am suggesting that
I be able to say 'cbosg!mark'.  delivermail would then look at the address and
try to find cbosg in the system file.  If my site happens to call cbosg direcly,
great.  Just use uucp and uux of rmail to send the message.  If not, there might
be a pointer in that file that says cbosg mail is to be sent to decvax.

The mail would go off to decvax.  Assuming decvax is running this system, it
would see that it does not call cbosg directly (perhaps it does, but assuming
it doesn't) ^s/cbosg/cbosgd/
it would find that the pointer for cbosgd pointed at cbosg, and send the message
to there.  cbosg knows about cbosgd directly, and off it goes.

One nice thing about this is that it can easily be started by one site.
putting a pointer in your table is like (to your users and to the systems
that call you) the ability to directly call that system.  Outsiders don't
have to know the mechanics.  Naturally, rmail can still be clever about building a reply string that works with both the old system and the
new.  Once one system installs this, others can intall it, until everybody
can send mail to systems they call frequently just by giving the name.
A typical example would be ucbvax.  If every system calling decvax included
a pointer that said decvax is the way to ucbvax, you wouldn't have to
see decvax in the string anymore.  (Sorry Bill, I know you deserve a lot of
credit for helping support the network)
As new paths were created, they would be used without having to inform the
users.  The most efficient path would always be taken.  One could also
type in the direct path at any time if you really wanted to take an alternate.

One bug would exist.  If a system's standard path to another system is through
some long route, but it also talks directly with that system on occasion,
it would not be possible to send mail on that direct route without a special
syntax of some kind.
   -Brad

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