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MAILADDR
!!!MAILADDR
NAME
DESCRIPTION
FILES
SEE ALSO
----
!!NAME


mailaddr - mail addressing description
!!DESCRIPTION


This manual page gives a brief introduction to SMTP mail
addresses, as used on the Internet. These addresses are in
the general format


user@domain


where a domain is a hierarchical dot separated list of
subdomains. For example, the addresses


eric@monet.berkeley.edu
Eric Allman
eric@monet.berkeley.edu (Eric Allman)


are valid forms of the same address.


The domain part (``monet.berkeley.edu'') may be the name of
an internet host, or it may be a logical mail address. The
domain part is not case sensitive.


The local part (``eric'') is often a user name, but its
meaning is defined by the local software. It can be case
sensitive, but usually isn't. If you see a local-part that
looks like garbage, it is usually because of a gateway
between an internal e-mail system and the net, here are some
examples:




(These are, respectively, an X.400 gateway, a gateway to an
arbitrary inernal mail system that lacks proper internet
support, an UUCP gateway, and the last one is just boring
username policy.)


The real-name part (``Eric Allman'') can either be placed
first, outside




__Abbreviation.__


Many mail systems let users abbreviate the domain name. For
instance, users at berkeley.edu may get away with
``eric@monet'' to send mail to Eric Allman. ''This behavior
is deprecated.''


__Route-addrs.__


Under some circumstances it may be necessary to route a
message through several hosts to get it to the final
destination. Normally this happens automatically and
invisibly, but sometimes not, particularly with old and
broken software. Addresses which show these relays are
termed ``route-addrs.'' These use the syntax:




This specifies that the message should be sent to hosta,
from there to hostb, and finally to hostc. Some hosts
disregard route-addrs and send directly to
hostc.


Route-addrs occur frequently on return addresses, since
these are generally augmented by the software at each host.
It is generally possible to ignore all but the
``user@hostc'' part of the address to determine the actual
sender.


__Postmaster.__


Every site is required to have a user or user alias
designated ``postmaster'' to which problems with the mail
system may be addressed. The ``postmaster'' address is not
case sensitive.


__FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS__


rtfm.mit.edu and many mirrors store a collection of FAQs.
Please find and use a nearby FAQ archive; there are dozens
or hundreds around the world.
''mail/inter-network-guide'' explains how to send mail
between many different networks. ''mail/country-codes''
lists the top level domains (e.g. ``no'' is Norway and
``ea'' is Eritrea). ''mail/college-email/part*'' gives
some useful tips on how to locate e-mail
addresses.
!!FILES


''/etc/aliases
~/.forward''
!!SEE ALSO


binmail(1), mail(1), mconnect(1),
forward(5), aliases(5), sendmail(8),
vrfy(8), RFC822 (Standard for the Format of Arpa
Internet Text Messages).
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Last edited on Tuesday, June 4, 2002 12:30:59 am by "perry"

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