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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!exodus!mhtsa!mh3bs!eagle!harpo!decvax!decwrl!daemon
From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Smart routing
Message-ID: <5524@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Feb-84 09:05:12 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.5524
Posted: Wed Feb  8 09:05:12 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 02:33:18 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA
Lines: 18

From: castor::covert  (John Covert)
Of course we want smart routing on the uucp network.  But is it smart to
strip off pathnames that were explicitly specified when no domains are
present in the address?
 
Unless each machine that does name-stripping knows the domain space of
each node-name it strips off, misrouting can occur if gateways have
been crossed.  How else can a name-stripper know which of the two nodes
named vortex is the real destination?
 
Smart routing should be truly smart, and not sophomoric.  If the next
node specified in the path is not a communicating site, then a path-aliasing
can be done.  Otherwise the specified path should be taken.
 
Once domains are fully implemented then smarter things can be done.  Until
then, the path contains information which is dangerous to remove.
 
John Covert  ...{ucbvax,allegra,decvax}!decwrl!rhea!castor!covert