🚀 go-pugleaf

les> les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) writes:
Karl> karl_kleinpaste@cis.ohio-state.edu writes:

les> I guess so.  I thought they [MX records] were mail addresses.

Nope.  The rarely-seen "MB" or "MG" records, but not MX.  MX means "if
you have mail for xyz.com, send it to foo.bar.net, they know how to
handle it from there."

Karl> Even more so, for private, single machines, I really don't want
Karl> them to be considered part of my organization.  I do MX service
Karl> for galaxia.newport.ri.us and a few related systems; they are by
Karl> no means part of OSU and I don't intend to have them identified as
Karl> such.

les> OK, then it still makes sense for an internet-uucp (or anything else)
les> gateway to establish a domain name just for the purpose of controlling
les> the namespace at the same point as the physical links.

Why?  The domain *servers* for a domain do not have to be within that
domain.  For example, the name servers for MorningStar.COM are at Ohio
State, where the MXes are-- doesn't this "control the namespace at the
same point as the physical links"?  After all, anyone who is willing and
able to give you MX service is *probably* set up to handle domain
service for you, TOO.

les> With a wild-card MX pointing to the forwarder, it should be
les> possible to add any number of addressable off-net machines without
les> changing anything but the forwarder's tables.  The value of this is
les> obvious within organizations, but not everyone "has" an
les> organization.

Which is what foo.city.st.us is for.

Karl> Just for grins, imagine one of the sites that have seriously
Karl> embarrassed themselves on the networks having been identified as a
Karl> subdomain of the Internet entity which feeds them.  I rather suspect
Karl> that the feed site would not take too kindly to such a suggestion.

les> I don't understand this any more than I would understand my state,
les> city, or post office being embarrassed by their mention in the
les> return address on a postal letter, but I'll take your word for it.

People don't *assume* that it's your city's fault you have access to the
postal service; after all, the USPS is required to mail your letters
(assuming they're legal mail, i.e. not bombs or whatever).

However, if your stuff goes out with headers of something like
"les@chinet.uucp.very-large-u.edu," and I think you're a complete idiot
who shouldn't be allowed near any computer more powerful than an abacus,
who am I likely to write to?

"postmaster@bigsite.very-large-u.edu."

I mean, *I* don't know you're just freeloading off of them...
--
   [ Christopher Davis - <ckd@cs.bu.edu> - <..!bu.edu!cs.bu.edu!ckd> ]
    A message destined for delivery in *your* domain is fair game for
  anything you may want to do, up to and including translating the entire
 message, header and all, into Swahili. -- chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg)