[comp.dcom.telecom] MCI Mail Numbering Scheme

cmoore@brl.mil (VLD/VMB) (02/28/90)

I have seen MCI mail numbers listed in the same format as 7-digit
telephone numbers.  Is there any meaning to this?


[Moderator's Note: No particular meaning applies, except that the
lower the box number, the longer the person has been a user. Boxes
numbered 1xx-xxxx up to about 2xx-xxxx have been on MCI Mail for
several years. The folks with 4xx-xxxx are newer users from the past
six or eight months.  PT]

0002293637@mcimail.com (Krislyn Companies) (03/03/90)

In issue # 134, Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl.mil> writes ...

> I have seen MCI mail numbers listed in the same format as 7-digit
> telephone numbers.  Is there any meaning to this?

> [Moderator's Note: No particular meaning applies, except that the
> lower the box number, the longer the person has been a user. Boxes
> numbered 1xx-xxxx up to about 2xx-xxxx have been on MCI Mail for
> several years. The folks with 4xx-xxxx are newer users from the past
> six or eight months.  PT]
 
Patrick is right in a general sense, but 'the lower the box number, the
longer the person has been a member' is not true in an absolute sense.

MCI ID (mailbox) numbers appear to be assigned in groups.  Mailboxes
which are assigned in sequence may have a pattern similar to the
following ...

410-0001
411-0002
412-0003
413-0004
 ...
419-0010
410-0011
411-0012

etc.

Additionally, there is some sort of check-digit mechanism built into
mailbox numbers so that not every sequential number is used.


Paul Wilczynski
Krislyn Computer Services
Authorized MCI Mail Agency

gutierre@oblio.arc.nasa.gov (Robert Gutierrez) (03/05/90)

0002293637@mcimail.com (Krislyn Companies) writes in V10, I-139, Msg 8 of 10

> In issue # 134, Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl.mil> writes ...
> > I have seen MCI mail numbers listed in the same format as 7-digit
> > telephone numbers.  Is there any meaning to this?

> > [Moderator's Note: No particular meaning applies, except that the
> > lower the box number, the longer the person has been a user.....

> Patrick is right in a general sense, but 'the lower the box number, the
> longer the person has been a member' is not true in an absolute sense.

Don't forget that MCI Mailbox numbers are assigned on a 10 digit
basis.  Right now, only the last 7 digits are being used, and the
first 3 are defaulted to 000. That means Krislyn Companies is actually
000-229-3637.  This is obviously for expansion capabilities.

Don't forget, you can use the person's name to address the MCI Mail,
and if there is more than one person, you can use their orginization
also. Case in point: There are two Alan Smiths in the MCI Mail
directory.  They both work for MCI Telecommuncations. If I don't have
their MCI Mail numbers, but don't want a bounced message telling me
there are more than one Alan Smith, then I can address it down to the
orginization like so:

   alan_smith/mcit_southeast@mcimail.com

or the other Alan:

   alan_smith/mcit_midwestern@mcimail.com

or just type out the line up to the character which differentiates the
2 Alan's, like so:

   alan_smith/mcit_s@mcimail.com

Of course, if there were two Alan Smith's in MCI's Southeastern division,
then I need his actual mailbox number....but if they were in different
'locations', then I can address down to the location:

   alan_smith/mcit_s/nashville@mcimail.com
But, if you were suicidal, you could just mail to 'smith@mcimail.com',
and wade (literally) through all the Smiths to find the right
one.........

   Robert Gutierrez
   NASA Science Internet Network Operations.
   Moffett Feild, California.

   "TPC....*THE* Telephone Company...."   ('The President's Analyst', 1968)