Name Router 3.0 Software Product Description. Name Router is a mail routing utility, which allows users to receive mail using conceptual domain names, rather than machine node names. For example, a user called John Smith, in the sales department of Scrooge accountants in Ireland might have a mailbox called smithj@vax1.scrooge.ie. Name Router allows him to be addressed as j.smith@sales.scrooge.ie. Name Router maintains a database specifying the mappings from the conceptual domain addresses to actual mailbox addresses, and will route incoming messages to the former to the latter. Name Router will also allow abbreviated fields within the conceptual name. The full specification for a conceptual address is of the form ..@domain1[.domain2. ..] All but the surname field can be omitted or abbreviated. If ambiguity arises from this, mail will be routed to the first entry matching the input address. For example, if john.h.smith@sales.scrooge.ie is entered in the database, any of the following localparts will match this entry: smith j.smith john.smith john.h.smith jo.smith The following entries would NOT match: joe.smith john.k.smith Any of the following domain parts would also match: sales.scrooge.ie scrooge.ie ie The following would not: accounts.scrooge.ie There must be a match in both localpart and domain for the mapping to take place. Name Router is not case sensitive on any of the fields. Name Router 3.0 has the following features: * uses RFC-822 style domain addressing. * optional rejection messages to sender and/or local postmaster for unrouteable messages. * optional default mapping, for handling unmatched addresses, e.g. an unmatched entry could be mapped to _@machine.domain, so fred.jones, if not matched would go to jones_f@machine.domain. * can interface to the PMDF mail system, or can generate and read BSMTP message files to/from specified directories. * optional organization name, which is automatically added to all entries. * database build program, which inputs mappings in text form into indexed file. * Name Router is installed using VMSINSTAL. * Sources are included. * Name Router may be freely distributed, subject to the restrictions listed. Name Router is mainly written in FORTRAN, but a FORTRAN compiler is not required unless you wish to modify or recompile. Software History. Name Router was written shortly before PMDF introduced the Directory channel (in fact, version 1.0 was written in the transit lounge of Rome Airport, while waiting for a connection). The directory channel provides similar functionality to Name Router, but does not allow abbreviations or partial matches. Name Router will also work without PMDF, provided it can reach an alternative mailer that understands BSMTP (such as MAILER on IBM systems, connected via Bitnet). Version 1 originally only supported BSMTP access, and would work with PMDF using the BSMTP channel to get files into Name Router, and the Bitnet Gateway channel to send the resultant files back. Version 2 could optionally read the files in PMDF_ROOT:[QUEUE] directly, and version 3 included enhancements such as default routing, and the VMSINSTAL procedure. It still sends files back into PMDF via the Bitnet gateway, mainly because PMDF lacks a callable interface which adheres to the VAX calling standard (this is a pity - PMDF is an otherwise excellent product. The MM routines provided pass PASCAL structures as parameters which violate the language independence philosophy of VMS). Distribution. You may pass on copies of Name Router to other organizations provided you follow these restrictions. 1. You must not charge for the distribution. 2. You must not remove any copyright or credit information. 3. You must not distribute any modifications which were not forwarded to UCD. 4. The receiver also accepts these restrictions. On receiving a copy, you should register your license with UCD (there is no charge for licenses, which are company wide - we just would like to know how many people out there are using it). No formal support is provided at present, but I will answer any queries, and try to fix any bugs. Suggested enhancements and criticisms are also welcome. Name Router is a product of the Computing Information Services in University College Dublin, Ireland. Tom Wade VMS Systems Programmer Computing Information Services University College Belfield Dublin 4. Ireland.