[net.news] automatic path finding

lee@rochester.UUCP (Lee Moore) (08/03/83)

One of the problems with using nmail is that is doesn't take into account the
quality of the connection.  When I use nmail, I regularly find I have to edit
the path to make it faster.  Unfortuately, there isn't a generalized version
of uuname that also give the quality of the connection.  The main problem of
implementing such a program is the distributed nature of the information needed
to rate the quality of a connection.  Typically this information is spread
over L.sys, crontab, uucp.hourly and so on.  It would be nice if there were
a central UUCP configuration program that would take a list of connections
and build the appropriate files.  For example one might say:

	allegra		hourly	123-4576 <login info>
	decvax		polled
	ucbvax		direct	/dev/tty0
	dagobah		polled	SECRET

Then a program would be run over this and the various files would be created.
In addition a "quality of connection" value would be assigned to each
connection.  Neigboring sites could then execute a modified uuname call and
get this information which would then be used as fodder to pathalias.  Note
that some connections could be secret so that they won't be distributed to
other sites.
-- 
	 = lee@rochester
	       rochester!lee =

smb@ulysses.UUCP (08/03/83)

I've written (and in the past posted to net.sources) a pathfinder that
does take "quality" (whatever that is) into account.  The problem is
maintaining the database; it's *far* more work than I bargained for,
and is the main reason I've never reposted it.

		--Steve