DECUS Meeting: 2/11/85					Topic: NETMAIL


			A Poor Man's Mail Router


Overview:

   The NETMAIL concept is simple.  It is designed to allow a com-
   munity of users to send mail to each other without the need to
   know which node a given user lives on. This is accomplished by
   placing dummy user entries in the VMSMAIL.DAT  file on a given
   node, and having other  nodes refer to  that node by a logical
   name (NETMAIL).  NETMAIL also supports multiple  routing nodes
   for distributed networks. When used with  DEC's Message Router
   on  the NETMAIL node,  the capability of store and  forward is
   added.

   The NETMAIL program itself is used to SET or SHOW an entry in
   the VMSMAIL database on the  NETMAIL node.  Therefore,  these
   entries can also serve as a general user directory, providing
   user's  at large  with personal  information  such  as  phone
   numbers,  department name,  and location.  Or whatever else a
   user might wish to include.

Detail:

   The node FOO is the NETMAIL  node.  From any node on a network
   where the  NETMAIL  logical name exists,  a user can type  the
   following and  send mail to user SMITH without knowing that he
   lives  on node BAR.  No username need  be established  on  FOO
   because a dummy entry is made  in the VMSMAIL  file by NETMAIL
   for the user SMITH. Sample MAIL sessions are shown below,  one
   using DEC's Message Router and one not.

$ MAIL
MAIL> send
To:   NETMAIL::MRGATE!SMITH
Sub:  ...

$ MAIL
MAIL> send
To:   NETMAIL::SMITH
Sub:  ...



DECUS Meeting: 2/11/85					Topic: NETMAIL

  The examples below show how the NETMAIL program is used to SET and
  SHOW an entry in the VMSMAIL file. Other commands are DELETE, LIST
  (all entries), and COMPARE (an entry on multiple NETMAIL nodes).

$ NETMAIL SET/NAME="John Smith"/FORWARD=BAR::SMITH -
             /PERSONAL="His Department and Phone Number"

Netmail Version 1.0  3-Feb-1986
%NETMAIL-I-DECNET, establishing decnet link to node FOO...
 
 New Record -
 Username: SMITH                           Name: John Smith
 Forward:  BAR::SMITH
 Personal: His Department and Phone Number
 
 Ok to add? y
%NETMAIL-I-UPDATE, update complete on node FOO.

$ NETMAIL/USER=SMITH

Netmail Version 1.0  3-Feb-1986
%NETMAIL-I-DECNET, establishing decnet link to node FOO...

 Username: SMITH                           Name: John Smith
 Forward:  BAR::SMITH
 Personal: His Department and Phone Number

$ NETMAIL SET/PERSONAL="VAX Systems Support @987-6543 x210" -
             /NOFOR/NAME="Jim Smith"

Netmail Version 1.0  3-Feb-1986
%NETMAIL-I-DECNET, establishing decnet link to node FOO...
 
 Current Record -
 Username: SMITH                           Name: John Smith
 Forward:  BAR::SMITH
 Personal: His Department and Phone Number
 
 New Record -
 Username: SMITH                           Name: Jim Smith
 Forward:  BAR::SMITH
 Personal: VAX Systems Support @987-6543 x210
 
 Ok to change? y
%NETMAIL-I-UPDATE, update complete on node FOO.

$ NETMAIL/NAME="JIM SMITH"

Netmail Version 1.0  3-Feb-1986
%NETMAIL-I-DECNET, establishing decnet link to node FOO...

 Username: SMITH                           Name: Jim Smith
 Forward:  BAR::SMITH
 Personal: His Department and Phone Number