Internet Mail Handling on 1:1/31 ================================ 1:1/31 does NOT interact with its smart-host/server via 'uucico', but by MOVING the queued files between the PC and the server using a product from Sun Microsystems known as PC-NFS. Since the PC has an Ethernet card and is located on the same Ethernet as the UNIX server we are able to "mount" directories from the servers as drives on the PC. Because of this feature, we are able to handle the enormous amounts of E-mail which are being handled by this system at speeds clocked at 8-Mb per second. However, we have to operate using very NON-STANDARD methods and have heavily modified our batch files and scripts to accomodate this. OUTGOING Mail (to the Internet): ------------------------------- Messages must be addressed to 1:1/31 and either have the UserName "Uucp" in the FidoNet-Header with the Internet destination in a "To: address" line as the very FIRST line of the message; -or- have the Internet destination as the UserName field, complete with the '@' sign. (For more specific details, F'req magic-name UUCPHELP from 1:1/31) Mail is processed using GIGO. The resulting queued files are *moved* to the smart-host/server via PC-NFS where they are fed to the mail handler by a script. INCOMING Mail (from the Internet): --------------------------------- The mail which is queued on the smart-host/server is prepared by a script which renames the files to the MS-DOS filenames as if they were received by Waffle's 'uucico'. It is then *moved* to the PC side of the gateway over a "mounted" link to the server's directories. The mail is then gated by GIGO. Some of the incoming Mail is ROUTED thru the FidoNet Backbone via 1:270/101. The mail for some systems are put directly on HOLD at 1:1/31 either at the request of the recipient SysOp, or one of the backbone routers or at the discretion of the gateway-operator. In the latter case, NetMail is sent by the gateway operator to the SysOp informing him/her that they must POLL 1:1/31 to pick up their Internet mail. Systems receiving large volumes of E-mail in the form of mailing-lists, UUencoded files and such *will* be asked to POLL for their Mail. The FidoNet backbone will NOT route such large volumes of mail. Mail will be HELD for a period of not more than 6 days (depending on disk space). You *must* Poll for your Mail at least twice a week or some mail will be lost. We just cannot hold mail indefinitely. If you would *like* for your Internet mail to be put on HOLD at 1:1/31, simply File-Request UUHOLD from 1:1/31. This will pass your address into a process that will dynamically re-configure the routing and related files. You will not receive any confirmation immediately, but will receive a routed NetMail confirmation from a later process. Be aware that when you do so, it will also automatically install an MX-record for your address so that your Internet mail will come in thru 1:1/31 even though your Net may have mail normally coming in thru another of the gateways. If you are an NC and would like your entire Net's mail held for you and your mailer is capable of EMSI, just F'req UNETHOLD instead. Newsgroups: ---------- Usenet Newsgroups are handled using GIGO. Incoming news is queued on the server in *.BAG format. The gateway handles the inbound bundles much the same as if they were in PageSat format. Outbound news is handled by moving the queued files to the nntp-server where they are fed by a script directly into rnews/relaynews. We are now gating ALL of the comp,misc,news,rec,sci,soc,talk and ieee.* hierarchies. Newsgroups are NOT generally available to FidoNet nodes, but are gated for Net-107 (our "home" Net) and invited guest links. ##################################################################### Frequently Asked Questions ========================== Q: I sent a message to 'listserv@somewhere' and the gateway bounced it. Why? A: In order to curtail traffic, it is necessary to inhibit folks from getting themselves on mailing-lists when their traffic is routed. We can only *globally* BLOCK mail from going to such addresses, and cannot do it selectively. Q: Someone sent me E-mail and it didn't arrive. He didn't get a 'bounce' either. A: One of several things could be happening. 1) The MX-record points your traffic to come in thru a different gateway other than 1:1/31. Traffic comes IN according to the DNS tables, NOT necessarily back in via the same gateway that you might have sent a message out. The complete Domain-Name-Server table is File-Requestable from 1:1/31 by REQuesting magic-name DNS. Inside, there are comments explaining how to read it. You need to see if there is an entry for your Net pointing to another gateway's MX-receiver. The MX-receiver for 1:1/31 is 'zeus.ieee.org'. 2) It is also possible that the message is circling around thru the LPM links of the FidoNet backbone somewhere. Any mail which is routed is routed via 1:270/101 (ProtoStar). Contact your NC, RC, or REC to track down a possibly broken LPM link to your Node. 3) Your mail could be on HOLD and you failed to PICKUP your mail before it was automatically deleted. Q: I know that GIGO can assign a unique name to a system instead of the '@f###.n###.z1.fidonet.org' address. I'd like my system to have a shorter address. Can you do this for me? A: Sorry, folks. Our configuration is rather unique because of the method we use to transfer the mail between the PC and the UNIX-server. Besides, we'd go kinda nuts maintaining the configuration for the number of Nodes we serve. The more we shove into the configuration, the longer the gating takes and there's also a memory limitation that the software has to deal with too. Q: I got onto a mailing-list and I don't know how to UNsubscribe. How do I UNsubscribe from the mailing-list? A: Mailing-lists vary in how they are handled. Some have an automated procedure for subscribing and unsubscribing. Usually the initial verification when you were subscribed contained the instructions for unsubscribing from the mailing-list. If you do NOT have these instructions, there is usually an address which will get to a "human" owner who can help you. In general, the mailing-list will be named in the FORMAT of 'listname@somewhere' or 'listname-l@somewhere'. The "owner" address will usually be either 'listname-request@somewhere' or 'owner-listname@somewhere' or 'listname-owner@somewhere'. You can also look for an "Errors-To:" header in one of the messages from the list. 1:1/31 will have this line hidden behind a ^A line near the top of the text. If it has an "Errors-To:" line, this is *usually* the address that will reach the "owner" of the list who can help you. ##################################################################### Burt Juda postmaster ############################### eof ##################################