Naming and Directory Issues in Message Transfer System.
Abstract
A message transfer system requires some means for users to determine the addresses of their correspondents. A Directory Service aids users in identifying a particular correspondent and the correspondent's address. This paper discusses the technical, economic, organizational and political requirements which must be satisfied by a directory service. The authors develop a language for describing alternative architectures for directory service borrowed from notions of hierarchical computer file system design. They propose a system of naming and directory services which meets the stated requirements based on names which specify a path through a sequence of directories. Finally, they compare our proposal to several alternative designs for directory service which have appeared in the literature. Additional keywords: electronic mail; message processing; information transfer. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA154727
Entities
People
- J. B. Sutherland
- M. A. Sirbu Jr.
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology