The SEND command is used to send mail. To use the SEND command, type: >SEND SEND will ask you for the name of the person to send to, the subject, and the message. (On 11M systems, your name will also be requested.) When you enter the name, use one of the following formats: SMITH to send to a person on your system, or to a person on another system whose name has been registered on your system. REMOTE::JONES to send to a person on system REMOTE. Your system has a built-in list of node paths; it is NOT usually necessary to use the long form (NEARBY::FURTHER::REMOTE::JONES) You may abort send at any time (CNTRL/C ABO SEN) Additional information available: FILES DISTRIBUTION_LISTS ADDRESSES 2 ADDRESSES The address which you enter on the "To:" line determines where your mail will be sent. Mail will send to users on your system as well as other systems. SYSTEM NAMES: Mail uses DECnet to communicate between SEND and the "Mail Server" which deposits mail on the requested system. The system name is a one to six-character node-identifier. Your system has a list of system names which are part of your community of interest and uses this list to route mail. Normally you need only specify the system name to send mail. If the system to which you are sending is unknown to your local system, you may enter a routing path in the form NEARBY::FURTHER::REMOTE::. If REMOTE is known to your system, just enter REMOTE:: USER NAMES: A user name is normally the surname a person uses to sign onto the system. If there is more than one account file entry on your system with the same sur- name, you should consult with your system manager to resolve conflicts and ensure that you receive mail. More information available: ALIASES, COMMUNITY, CONFLICTS, FORWARDING 3 ALIASES The system manager may establish aliases for persons or functions. Example: Mail for SYSTEMMANAGER will normally be automatically routed to the person responsible for the system. 3 COMMUNITY The community of users can be viewed as consisting of several levels. Understanding these levels will make sure that your mail does not end up in the dead letter office. Local Community These users read mail on your own system. You send to these users by typing just their To: SMITH surname; mail is routed locally. Associated Community These users read mail on other systems. However, your system manager has determined that their surnames should be known on your system (e.g. they have guest accounts on your system but do not check here for mail, To: JONES they have recently moved to another system, or they have been made known for convenience). You send to these users by typing just their surname; mail is automatically routed to the correct system. Neighboring Communities These are users of other systems connected through the network. You send mail to these To: REMOTE::DOE users by entering the name of their system, a double colon, and their surname. 3 CONFLICTS Naming conflicts arise when a surname is not sufficient to route mail to the proper place. If a naming conflict has occurred with your name or with someone you wish to communicate with, consult with the system manager. If the conflict is because you have two accounts on your system, the system manager can specify that all your mail is to be routed to a single account. If the conflict is because two users have the same surname, the system manager can arrange for mail to that surname to be rejected with a message indicating the proper way to send. Example: there are two SMITHs on a system. The system manager can arrange that anyone sending to SMITH will be told: Smith - send to JSmith or MSmith The system manager then establishes JSMITH as an alias pointing to the correct account. 3 FORWARDING The system manager can arrange for mail to be automatically forwarded to another system or person when it arrives. Example: you have moved from system A to system B. The system manager of system A indicates that mail for you is to be routed to system B. This forwarding should remain in effect AT LEAST as long as you retain an account on system A in order to make sure that mail is not left at your old location. Example: Many users on system A send messages to someone on system B. For convenience, the system manager can arrange for mail to be routed to system B. Example: You have an account on system A, but normally work on system B. The system manager can arrange for your mail on system A to route to system B. 2 DISTRIBUTION_LISTS There are two types of distribution lists: Immediate Lists: You may enter more than one name when SEND prompts "To: ". Separate the names with a comma. System names DO NOT default through the list. Example: To: REMOTE::SMITH,DOE sends to SMITH on REMOTE and DOE on your own system. Files: You may use a text file containing one address per line. Comments are allowed; begin a comment line with a semi-colon or exclamation mark. Respond @filespec when SEND prompts "To: ". Example: To: @mailing.lst sends to each address in the file. When you use a mailing list, you will be notified if errors occur for some of the addresses. If it is still possible for SEND to send to some of the users, it will ask you whether you want to send anyway. If you answer no, the SEND program will exit without sending at all. 2 FILES You may send text files as your message. To do this, invoke the SEND program with the command SEND filespec. Send will prompt for the address and subject as usual, but will send the file instead of asking for text. Files containing long lines may be slightly altered by this process. This is useful for sending memos and other short textual information. NFT should be used to send program sources and RUNOFF output files.