[comp.windows.x] Re^2: Where is comp.sources.x archived for FTP

fritz@unocss.UUCP (Tim Russell) (07/08/89)

tadguy@cs.odu.edu (Tad Guy) writes:

>[ Yeah, ok, so this isn't really comp.windows.x material.  It still
>  might be useful for some people who also get this message from UUNET...]

>The message is pretty clearly saying that the problem is with your
>domain servers.  

>What's happening here is that UUNET is trying to discover the name of
>the machine you are ftp'ing from by doing a PTR query on your IP
>address.  If your domain servers are incorrect, it won't be able to do
>this (and thus returns the 421 message above).  Your administrator
>needs to fix this.

That would be fine if I thought it were true, but it isn't.  I regularly
send mail to myself to zeus.unl.edu from Carnegie-Mellon's machines with
no problem, yet, wonder of wonders, uunet doesn't know about me.

    Personally, I think if uunet is going to allow anonymous FTP, they
should allow just that, and dispense with this crap about only allowing
anonymous FTP from recognized sites.   Or, if they just /have/ to have it,
at least make it work!  Why they need to know my hostname when every other
site on the net couldn't care less if beyond me.

-- 
---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------
 Tim Russell, Computer Operator  | Internet: russell@zeus.unl.edu
 Campus Computing                | Bitnet:   russell@unoma1
 University of Nebraska at Omaha | UUCP:     uunet!zeus.unl.edu!russell

tadguy@cs.odu.edu (Tad Guy) (07/09/89)

In article <1060@unocss.UUCP> fritz@unocss.UUCP (Tim Russell) writes:
   >The message is pretty clearly saying that the problem is with your
   >domain servers.  

   That would be fine if I thought it were true, but it isn't.  I regularly
   send mail to myself to zeus.unl.edu from Carnegie-Mellon's machines with
   no problem, yet, wonder of wonders, uunet doesn't know about me.

Sending mail usually involves converting a name (such as zeus.unl.edu)
into an IP address (such as [129.93.1.10]).  However, what UUNET is
doing is converting the IP address back into a name -- completely
different operations.

A quick look using nsq (or nslookup) reveals that the primary name
server for domain UNL.EDU is RELAY.CS.NET.  However, there is *NO*
registered name server for domain 93.129.IN-ADDR.ARPA, which is where
the PTR query (used in reverse lookups) needs to succeed.  You (or
your administrator) need to arrange for a server for this domain (it
appears that RELAY.CS.NET is already setup to handle it) and notify
HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA when it's ready.

       Personally, I think if uunet is going to allow anonymous FTP, they
   should allow just that, and dispense with this crap about only allowing
   anonymous FTP from recognized sites.  

If it makes sites correct their name server configurations, it's worth it.

	...tad