PATHTO
Section: Misc. Reference Manual Pages (X_MAN1_EXT_X)
Updated: 1 February 1988
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NAME
pathto, uupath - calculate mail paths
SYNOPSIS
pathto
[ -tdnsv ]
address ...
uupath
[ -tsv ]
[
sitename|domain|path
]
...
DESCRIPTION
These commands query the mail routing databases to
determine which paths will be used in sending mail to
the specified hosts or addresses.
The
pathto(X_MAN1_EXT_X)
command takes the address of a user and determines the path that
smail(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
would use for delivery.
For historical reasons, the resulting path is rewritten as a
UUCP-style
`!'-path
by default,
even though this form may not be used by smail for delivery.
The leading sitename in the path is the site towards which
smail(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
will make a delivery.
The leading sitename may be followed by a route to the target
of the address if the leading sitename and target are different.
The remainder of the argument, if anything, is added on to the end.
This command advises you on how
smail(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
will handle an address but does not give the actual
address that
smail(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
will use, unless the
-n
option given.
The
uupath(X_MAN1_EXT_X)
command attempts to compute paths from your machine to other machines.
If the argument is the name of a site such as
nsavax,
or
nsavax.nsa.gov,
or if it is the name of a domain such as
.nsa.gov,
then the
uupath(X_MAN1_EXT_X)
program will try to produce a path to that site or domain.
If the argument is a
`!'-path,
then
uupath
computes a route to the first site, and appends the
remainder of the path onto it.
For historical reasons, the
resultant string will be
``%s'',
if the host is the local host.
It is important to note that
uupath
arguments relate to
sitenames,
while the
pathto
arguments relate to
addresses of users.
The command:
-
uupath namei
will compute a path to the SITE named
namei,
while the command:
-
pathto namei
will ``compute a path'' to the USER named
namei
on the local machine.
OPTIONS
All three commands take hosts
and addresses from the arguments,
or from standard input if none are
given as arguments.
The following options are recognized:
- -s
-
If
smart-host
routing is enabled in the
smail
routing databases,
then
-s
will cause smart-host routing used as a last resort
in computing paths.
By default, smart-host
routing is not taken into account by these commands.
A smart-host router will
route an address to a remote host
that supposedly has a larger or more up-to-date routing
database than the local host.
- -d
-
By default,
pathto
does not examine what will happen when mail is actually
delivered to the final user(s).
If the final users are on the local system, then
-d
will apply any aliasing, forwarding or mailing lists
expansions.
The order and number of arguments will not necessarily correspond to the
order and number of output address when this option is used.
- -n
-
uupath
will always produce a pure UUCP path,
and by default so will
will
pathto,
in the interest of backward compatibility.
The
-n
flag
will generate
other addressing forms if they
would actually be used by
smail
for delivery. With the -n option, the pathto command
will print the next-hop host that a particular address would be sent
to (or it will print ``local'' if the address would be delivered
locally), and it will print the address that smail will give to the
next-hop. The next-hop host and the address are separated by :: and
some whitespace.
- -t
-
Announce the name of the transport that would be used in delivering to
an address, if the transport is known. Local addresses that are not
resolved using the
-d
flag will not produce a tranport because the specific local transport
cannot determined without applying the directors.
- -v
-
Be verbose, announcing each important state of address resolution as
it occurs. The verbose messages are written to standard error.
EXAMPLES
The following examples assume the following
routing configuration will be used
to compute path information:
- a.
-
a list of known local host names:
amdahl,
uts.amdahl.com
and
amdahl.com.
- b.
-
a
pathalias(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
database containing the lines:
.nsa.gov namei!nsavax!%s
amdahl %s
glotz namei!glotz!%s
kgbvax name!walldrug!kgbvax!%s
namei namei!%s
nsavax namei!glotz!nsavax!%s
where each path will use
UUX
for delivery.
- c.
-
a known network connection to the host
eek,
which is also known as
eek.uts.amdahl.com.
- d.
-
domains of the form
[number.number.number.number]
are recognized as internet
numbers to be delivered using TCP/IP.
- e.
-
the path
namei!glotz!nsavax
is used as a smart-host path
for addresses the localhost cannot route.
The following commands, in italic, will
produce the corresponding output:
-
$
uupath nsavax mit-prep uts.amdahl.com
namei!glotz!nsavax
uupath: no route found to mit-prep
%s
$
uupath -s mit-prep!rms
namei!glotz!nsavax!mit-prep!rms
$
pathto @eek.uts.amdahl.com:rms@prep.ai.mit.edu
eek!prep.ai.mit.edu!rms
$
pathto -n @[192.2.12.3]:rms@prep.ai.mit.edu
[192.2.12.3] :: rms@prep.ai.mit.edu
$
pathto brown@nsavax
namei!glotz!nsavax!brown
DIAGNOSTICS
An error message will be written to standard error
if there is a syntax error in an address,
or if no path can be found for an address
and smart-host routing is not being used.
In case of such errors,
these programs return an appropriate
exit code from
the file
/usr/include/sysexits.h;
e.g.,
EX_DATAERR
or
EX_NOHOST.
FILES
- X_PATHS_FILE_X
-
Standard ascii path database.
- X_LIB_DIR_X/routers
-
Smail routing configuration.
SEE ALSO
smail(X_MAN8_EXT_X),
smail(X_MAN5_EXT_X),
pathalias(X_MAN8_EXT_X)
and
pathalias(X_MAN5_EXT_X).
BUGS
Your local site does not always know a correct path to every site.
Routing is only as good as your routing information.
Smail cannot compensate for out-of-date or poorly syncronized
databases.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright(C)1987, 1988 Ronald S. Karr and Landon Curt Noll
Copyright(C)1992 Ronald S. Karr
See a file COPYING,
distributed with the source code,
or type
smail -bc
for distribution rights and restrictions
associated with this software.
Index
- NAME
-
- SYNOPSIS
-
- DESCRIPTION
-
- OPTIONS
-
- EXAMPLES
-
- DIAGNOSTICS
-
- FILES
-
- SEE ALSO
-
- BUGS
-
- COPYRIGHT
-
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