23 Feb
2016
23 Feb
'16
11:48 a.m.
On Feb 23, 2016, at 1:46 PM, william degnan
<billdegnan at gmail.com> wrote:
Assuming I want to send an email message to an older VAX server (Process
Software MultiNet V4.1 Rev A, MicroVAX 3100, VAX/VMS V5.5-2 ) that requires
one to format their OUTBOUND emails like this:
To: SMTP%"bill at myemail.net"
How does one send mail INBOUND to this kind of VAX mail from a modern email
like gmail? Is it possible to format the header somehow to get the message
through? You can't simply send a message to
system at microvax3100.vintagecomputer.net
how would I format the email address? I could write a PHP program to
format the header "wrong" for normal purposes but "right" for the
VAX
inbound I suppose. Any tips that don't involve creating a gateway nor
changing the target VAX itself?
I don't remember the details of what email addresses looked like in the days when DEC
was first connected to the Internet (or ARPAnet). There was a bunch of magic at the WRL
gateway (gatekeeper.dec.com -- also one of the first firewalls). A lot of this can be
done by suitable magic in sendmail.cf. At some later time I believe that the mapping from
SMTP addresses to DECmail addresses was pretty much transparent, so you could indeed send
that simple address you mentioned. Earlier on it was something like
"ark::[1,211]"@decwrl.dec.com or perhaps kremvax!decwrl!ark!1,211 ...
paul