MAIL(6) MAIL(6)
NAME
mail - mail addresses
DESCRIPTION
Mail(1) uses the programs of upas(8) to interpret mail
addresses.
Network addresses
A general network mail address has the form
machine!...!name, with one or more machines mentioned. A
machine in the middle of the list gets the mail marked
`from' the preceding part of list and forwards it to the
next to handle the rest of the list.
Rules for converting addresses among the conventions of dif-
ferent networks are given by rewrite rules; see upas(8). A
rough description of the rewrite rules for the local
research network follows.
A simple name, containing no punctuation, is translated
according to `Local addresses' below to produce more
addresses, which get rewritten in turn.
The conventional network address local!name is delivered to
the mailbox /usr/spool/mail/ name if it exists or if name is
registered as a login name in the password file passwd(5).
Otherwise the mail is undeliverable.
Mail to another machine is forwarded.
Addresses in other forms are rewritten recursively.
Local addresses
`Alias files' specify local name translation. Each line of
an alias file begins with # (comment) or with a name. The
rest of a name line gives the translation. The translation
may contain multiple addresses and may be continued to
another line by appending a backslash. Items are separated
by white space.
In translating a name, the sender's personal alias file is
checked first. Then the system alias files, listed one per
line in are checked in order. If the name is not found, the
translation is taken to be local!name.
On research network machines, the first system alias file is
/usr/lib/upas/names.local; it is never touched from afar.
Alias files for various organizations, e.g
/usr/lib/upas/names.1127, are maintained, often by users
themselves, at selected sites and sent around the network
MAIL(6) MAIL(6)
when changed by ship(8). The master alias file for center
1122 is kept on `alice', those for other centers on `bow-
ell'.
Addresses to/from major networks
A `from' address is automatically supplied as a return post-
mark on outgoing mail addressed `to' the several networks.
Respondents should be able to send to these addresses. For
non-research AT&T machines that use the research gateway,
`from' addresses with @ should be replaced by
person%machine@research.att.com.
UUCP: (to) machine!person
(from) research!person
CSNET: (to) csnet!machine-domain-name!person
(from) person@research.att.com
ARPANET: (to) arpa!machine-domain-name!person
(from) person@research.att.com
ACSNET: (to) acsnet!machine-domain-name!person
(from) person@research.usa
BITNET: (to) bitnet!machine!person
(from) person@research.att.com
FILES
SEE ALSO
uucp(1), mail(1), upas(8)