Sridhar Ayengar wrote: Johnny Billquist wrote: Node list don't even get transmitted within the same area. Node names are local to each machine, and it is perfectly valid to have different names for the same node number on different machines (although perhaps confusing). How hard would it be to write software as equivalent to DNS? Not necessarily for general-purpose use, but just for HECnet? For what? Just copying the nodename database between machines? The software can already do that, so it would just be a question of automating it a bit. If you'd like to get a name lookup done from some central place at each nodename lookup would be almost impossible. You'd need the source code for DECnet, and the ability to recompile it for that to be possible. Not likely, I'm afraid. Johnny -- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol