From: harvey@indyvax.iupui.edu
Subject: Re: B-CPU Mail Path
Organization: Indiana University
Date: 8 Apr 92 21:59:35 -0500

In article <9204081827.AA29854@hardy.u.washington.edu>, dild@exmus.fabersham.com (Jonny Handsome) writes:
>In article <dfs.702746787@lore>, dfs@doe.carleton.ca (David F. Skoll) writes:
>>So, if you want to bounce Ralphie's articles back at him (not that I recommend
>>it, no, never! :-)), don't use the "Reply" feature of your news reader - it
>>won't work.  Instead, mail the words of wisdom to:
>
> 'Twould be naughty to send him unsolicited 'opinions'.
>
>>       agora.rain.com!b-cpu!ralphw        or
>>       b-cpu!ralphw@agora.rain.com        or
>>       b-cpu!maynard@agora.rain.com
>
> But...but...
>
>         % ping agora.rain.com
>         ping: unknown host agora.rain.com
>
> Ralpharella, what is your internet number? You didn't pluck your name
> out of the server did you???
> *************

Hehehe.  ==> Please note that agora.rain.com IS NOT the b-cpu people. <==

Agora.rain.com is not directly connected to the Internet.  Lots of hosts
with domain names aren't.  Agora is simply b-cpu's UUCP service provider
(news and evidently mail too).  Rain.psg.com provides domain name service
for the hosts in the rain.com domain, including agora.  UUNET provides
backup name service for rain.com (and a lot of other domains).  Some of the
Internet-connected hosts in the rain.com domain act as mail gateways for
UUCP-only hosts in that domain, including agora.  Mail gateways between the
Internet and various other networks (not just UUCP-only sites) are identified
in the domain name system with mail-exchange resource records (MX RRs).
You can look up MX RRs manually by using the `nslookup' utility on a host
connected directly to the Internet (`dig' is better but I don't have it).
For example:

%PHOTO-I-STARTED, PHOTO V1.0-005, recording started  8-APR-1992 17:56:51
$ nslookup
Default Server:  indyvax.iupui.edu
Address:  134.68.1.2

> lserver ns.uu.net.
Default Server:  ns.uu.net
Address:  137.39.1.3

> set q=any
> agora.rain.com.
Server:  ns.uu.net
Address:  137.39.1.3

agora.rain.com	preference = 50, mail exchanger = previous.rain.com
agora.rain.com	preference = 60, mail exchanger = percy.rain.com
agora.rain.com	preference = 70, mail exchanger = percival.rain.com
agora.rain.com	preference = 100, mail exchanger = rain.psg.com
previous.rain.com	internet address = 147.28.0.67
percy.rain.com	internet address = 147.28.0.66
percival.rain.com	internet address = 147.28.0.65
rain.psg.com	internet address = 147.28.0.34
> exit
$ lo
  Process HARVEY_2 logged out at  8-APR-1992 17:57:40.56
%PHOTO-I-STOPPED, recording terminated  8-APR-1992 17:57:40 AGORA-MX.LOG;1

Some obsolete mailers may not grok MX RRs.  If yours doesn't, you can put
one of the directly-connected mail-exchangers at the beginning the path.
The smallest MX preference value is the most preferred path (see RFC 974
for details).  For example:

    previous.rain.com!agora.rain.com!b-cpu!ralphw       or
    agora.rain.com!b-cpu!ralphw@previous.rain.com	or
    <@previous.rain.com,@agora.rain.com:ralphw@b-cpu>

BTW, MX support for sender SMTP is required for Internet hosts.  See RFC
1123 for details.  Note that some implementation details described in RFC
974 are superseded by RFC 1123.

The Banished CPU does not appear in the UUCP maps, except for the UUCP
connection to agora.  Nor does it appear as if they have registered a domain
name, or a name in the rain.com domain.  However, the "From" addresses
supplied by their news software are generated as if b-cpu _is_ registered in
the uucp maps.  This is why one cannot "reply" to the news articles posted
from there.  Whether this is due to ignorance or incompetence on the part of
their sysop, or whether someone at b-cpu desires to make their connection
appear to be one-way, I cannot say.  Those interested in knowing why could
perhaps e-mail an inquiry to the b-cpu sysop, viz.:

    previous.rain.com!agora.rain.com!b-cpu!maynard

Finally, please note that several other BBSes in the Portland Oregon area
(besides b-cpu) also have UUCP connections to agora and other hosts in the
rain.com domain.  None of the people associated with these other systems
necessarily has anything to do with b-cpu.  So, if you need to discuss this
with any of them, please be polite.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled newsgroup...

ObConspiracy:  It appears that this is not a conspiracy, but that b-cpu has
simply "Banished" itself either through incompetence or as a deception.
--
James Harvey
harvey@iupui.edu or harvey@indiana.edu
Xref: sparky alt.conspiracy:6199 alt.discrimination:1402 soc.history:3523 alt.activism:7446