HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Steve Huff, U. of Kansas, Lawrence) (01/14/90)
In article <1644@dsac.dla.mil>, nor1675@dsac.dla.mil (Michael Figg) writes: > What does the '%' do in an address like this? Is it saying noriega at > jail.usu.gov, which is a system that uunet.uu.net knows about? From my experience with Telemail, the % tells the mailer which node to send the message too. For example, m.dimler%telemail@intermail.isi.edu tells intermail to send the message to user/mailbox 'm.dimler' on node 'telemail'. Of cours, this is my best guess. Anybody care to back me up or correct it? Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------- If the opposite of pro is con, what is the opposite of progress? Steve Huff Internet: HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Bitnet: HUFF@ukanvax.BITNET EmCon: K1TR or KW02 (If you have access, please say so!) -----------------------------------------------------------------
bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells) (01/14/90)
In article <21209@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Steve Huff, U. of Kansas, Lawrence) writes: : In article <1644@dsac.dla.mil>, nor1675@dsac.dla.mil (Michael Figg) writes: : > What does the '%' do in an address like this? Is it saying noriega at : > jail.usu.gov, which is a system that uunet.uu.net knows about? Roughly. The most important thing to realize about the '%' is that it does not have *any* fixed meaning. There might be an RFC somewhere that says something about it, but I don't know. That means that in the address a%b@c, a%b is just a name like any other name, so far as the machines sending your mail to c are concerned. But once your mail gets to c, it may see the address a%b and say `hmmmm, I guess I have to fiddle some more before delivering this'. Typically, what it does then is to change the % to an @ and then sends the message to the new address. On the other hand, it might bounce your message with `I don't have a local user a%b'. It all depends on the site. As an example, some Bitnet sites, I'm told, have trouble dealing with mail addressed to my site. If they try to send to bill@twwells.com, it doesn't go through (in case anyone cares, it is supposedly because their gateway doesn't understand MX records, but that is a topic for another time). So, instead, they mail to bill%twwells.com@uunet.uu.net. Mail to uunet works fine. Uunet gets a `local' address bill%twwells.com, notes the %, changes it to an @, and sends the mail off to bill@twwells.com. In general, however, it is not a good idea to provide addresses that contain a %. They should only be provided when the normal addresses won't work for some reason or another. --- Bill { uunet | novavax | ankh } !twwells!bill bill@twwells.com
wisner@hayes.fai.alaska.edu (Bill Wisner) (01/22/90)
bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells) writes: > If they try to send to >bill@twwells.com, it doesn't go through (in case anyone cares, it >is supposedly because their gateway doesn't understand MX >records, but that is a topic for another time). Does now. 220 CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU running IBM VM SMTP R1.2.2MX on Sun, 21 Jan 90 17:20:29 EST ^^ Never let it be said that IBM doesn't stay abreast of all the latest technology -- a mere five years after it becomes the latest technology. w.