🚀 go-pugleaf

kre@cs.mu.oz.au (Robert Elz) writes:
 > I don't have enough mhsnet knowledge to actually work out what
 > plaza/archie do with an MHSnet message sent to archie.au - if Piers
 > is right, I guess it would be routed to basser, and if basser believes
 > that archie.au is an alias for plaza, I guess it would route it right
 > back, which would seem to create a nice routing loop.

MHSnet aliases work by mapping an address at the mapping site, so a
message arriving at basser with the address "archie.au" has the address
turned into "plaza.aarnet.oz.au" *at* basser.  After that, routing for
the address "plaza.aarnet.oz.au" proceeds as normal.  This is how
"exported aliases" work as well of course, so when "plaza.aarnet.oz.au"
exports the alias "archie.oz.au", then messages originally intended for
that address will most often arrive with the real address already mapped
in.  Of course, "plaza.aarnet.oz.au" also understands its own exported
alias, and delivers the address "archie.oz.au" locally.  It could just as
easily export the alias "archie.au" as well as "archie.oz.au" to be
compatible to the internet address.

I suspect the reason it doesn't was an attempt by the administrator to
be kind to SUN III sites, but that's no reason to deny the internet
address to others unless they also thought that a site could have only
*one* "xlaias" (MHSnet sites can of course export as many aliases as
they like).

Since this alias matches the internet address and delivers requests
correctly -- I suggest everyone who has it keeps it, so that users son't
have to know the difference between "archie.oz.au" and "archie.au".  
--

Computer Science, Sydney University, Madsen Bldg F09, Sydney NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 692 3423				  Fax: +61 2 692 3838