PATHALIAS or The Care and Feeding of Relative Addresses

Abstract

Pathalias computes electronic mail routes in environments that mix explicit and implicit routing, as well as syntax styles. We describe the history of pathalias, its algorithms and data structures, and our design decisions and compromises. Pathalias is guided by a simple philosophy: get the mail through, reliably and efficiently. We discuss the principles of routing in heterogeneous environments necessary to make this philosophy a reality.