brand%lllasd.DECnet@LLL-CIRCUS.ARPA ("LLLASD::BRAND") (05/21/87)
This is in response to John Childs who was trying to avoid long MAIL
addresses. We too have this problem. In our case, it is with the WIN/VX
software for access to the internet. To reach INFO-VAX, we must send to
circus::mailer!info-vax@sri-kl.arpa (Yes, we have old host tables!)
where the decnet node CIRCUS is our "gateway" machine running WIN/VX.
We have tried the following:
1) A logical name such as "infovax" assigned to the long string,
and 2) A distribution list file with a single entry.
Neither works even when we get the double quotes right. Reason: VMS mail
delivers the mail using the "translation or file contents" but places into the
'To:" header the original address. Thus, when sending to "infovax" (or
@infovax) , the translation (or file expansion) is made and the mail goes to
CIRCUS::MAILER, but when the mailer deamon picks it up and parses it, the "To:"
field it sees is "infovax" (or "@infovax"). With no internet address available,
the TWG deamon is unable to properly forward the mail! And, (in the infinite
wisdom of TWG :-)) the mailer deamon drops the mailgram without even a wimper
to the sender.
We have, however, found one kludge around this problem. It relies on the
fact that VMS grew-up from RSX and that when a "@" appears on a DCL command
line, it (as best I can tell) is expanded during DCL command line parsing.
Thus, making a file named SYS$LOGIN:INFOVAX.ADDRESS containing the single line:
"CIRCUS::MAILER!info-vax@sri-kl.arpa"
(Note: The double quotes are VERY necessary, as is the capitalization of
the node and username!) and by defining the logical name INFOVAX to be
SYS$LOGIN:INFOVAX.ADDRESS, one can now mail to info-vax from the DCL level via:
$ MAIL/SUBJ="what ever" file @INFOVAX
(I said this was a real kludge!)
Hal Brand
LLNL
brand%lllasd.decnet@lll-circus.arpa
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