XRJJM%SCINT.SPAN@STAR.STANFORD.EDU (John McMahon, (05/10/88)
***> From: <shafferj%BKNLVMS.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu> (Jim Shaffer, Jr.) ***> Subject: a strange Bitnet routing ***> I recently received a message from someone at Joiner Associates (the makers ***> of the JNET VAX network software). The node name in the address was ***> WISCPSL. When I sent a reply and watched the path it took, I received ***> a message from WISCPSLC that it had sent it on link JOINER! Looking through ***> the routing table, I found that JOINER doesn't appear to be a Bitnet node. ***> Furthermore, this was the first time I had seen a node automatically route ***> a message based on the username. Well, what I think you saw was the following, although I think the simplest thing to do is to ask the person you sent mail to about it. One of the items you can set in VMS Mail is a "forwarding address". This was originally intended for DECNET addresses, so if a user has a whole bunch of accounts, on a whole bunch of machines, they can all forward mail to the same spot. Now this forwarding address can be set to other protocols as well. I can say SET FORWARD JNET%"XYZZY@NODE1", and any mail I get will be forwarded to user XYZZY at NODE1. I suspect node JOINER is on Joiner Assoc. internal RSCS/JNET network, and someone had forwarded his/her mail from WISCPSLC to JOINER. I have been led to believe similar things can be done using the Crosswell Mailer system on IBM machines. There are more than a few nodes on Bitnet which "don't exist". As to the rules and regulations regarding them, I suspect BITNIC can answer that better than me. John McMahon