uucp nickname

[Paul Stath]

You didn't specify the type of uucp that you were running, so.....
I will tell you about my experiences using the uucp distributed with
AT&T System V rel. 2 and above.  This version of uucp is often called
HoneyDanBer (HDB) uucp after its authors.

We support many client sites using TB+ modems and uucp.  We ship files
of all types using simple uucp.  When our company connected our different
machines together using StarLan, the software didn't like the machines
having identical names.  (All of the client sites use the same name in
their Systems file.)  When we changed the system names to accommodate
StarLan, the client sites all said "you are unknown to me."  We were
faced with changing all of those systems files remotely.  Instead we
found the MYNAME modifier in the Permissions file.  The permissions file
is normally used to specify what machines can do when they call your system.
However the MACHINE entries are used to specify permissions when you call
another system.  One of the options in a MACHINE entry is MYNAME.  This
allows you to use any name you wish when you call another system.  Here
is a sample entry.

	MACHINE=remote \
	MYNAME=alias_name

Where remote is the name of the machine you are calling, and alias_name
is the name the other machine expects.  By adding this entry to the 
Permissions file on all our machines, we continue to call clients
from any machine, w/o changing anything on the other end. (how VERY
wonderful, since I would have had to make the changes. :-)

To verify that you are calling a system using the alias_name, use
	$ uucheck -v
to check your uucp files.
You should see something like:
	When we call systems(s): (remote)
		[* Stuff deleted *]
		Myname for the conversation will be alias_name.


This knowledge has been gleaned from reading between the lines of the AT&T
manuals, and a book titled: "Managing uucp and Usenet" by O'Reilly &
Associates.  (ISBN: 0-937175-09-9) (A Nutshell Publication)
(You can order toll free by calling 1-800-338-NUTS.  (NUTS=6887 for you
 European types. :-)

This is a really good book if you do a lot of work with uucp and Usenet.
It covers the most popular versions of uucp (Not just HDB).  It sure beats
digging the info out of the man pages.  (That like pulling hen's teeth :-)

Hope this helps anybody who has this particular problem.

( Disclaimer:  I receive nothing for mentioning any publications or software
  products in my postings.  I mention them only because they have been of
  value to me.  )