fair@ucb-arpa.ARPA (Erik E. Fair) (10/17/85)
As I understand it (since I don't make or execute policy around here) in order to relieve the NIC of having to register all the hosts at Berkeley, Berkeley has registered only 26 of the ~300 hosts that are on the class B network here (I might add that there are several subnets as well). This is also an inter-organizational issue, since we have a research community and a computer center. The research community has the IMP, and all of the registered hosts. The computer center has chosen not to register at all (Mr. Wells works for the Computer Center). In order that mail can get in and out of here reliably from all hosts, all of the hosts have been set up so that they forward outgoing internet mail to one central host (UCB-VAX.ARPA), which is registered, and which (until recently [grrr]) changed the outgoing address from user@ucbhost to user%ucbhost@ucb-vax.arpa. If an outside organization wished to telnet or FTP to/from one of the unregistered hosts, it was expected that they would either add the unregistered hosts to their host table, or use the appropriate internet address number. My view, (and I shall reiterate it) is that all ARPANET hosts should continue to have their current name(s) registered with the NIC Hostmaster, regardless of whether they are currently using a domain resolver or not, because interoperation with the MILNET is important, and when you send unregistered names over there, they will not be able to get back. While the MILNET hosts have been ENCOURAGED to use domain resolvers, they are specifically not REQUIRED to do so until DDN-PMO specifies a conversion schedule, and it is a mistake to attempt to force it on them since they can legitimately refuse to do so. still glad I'm not a postmaster or liaison, Erik E. Fair ucbvax!fair fair@ucbarpa.BERKELEY.EDU