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RFC 763 UNKNOWN EMAIL · ADMINISTRATION

Role mailboxes

Use role-based mail addresses so messages reach the current job holder, not a specific person.

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
May 1980
AUTHORS
M.D. Abrams
STREAM
Legacy
RFC DATE
May 1980
LENGTH
1 page
EXAMPLE ROLES
SYSTEMS, MANAGEMENT, LIAISON
DOI
10.17487/RFC0763

RFC text

Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗ 
                                                        Marshall Abrams
                                                                    NBS
                                                               7 May 80
Network Working Group
Request for Comments:  763

                         ROLE MAILBOXES

Occasionally it is necessary to send mail to someone on the net who is
known only as the incumbent in an official position.  Often the mail is
undeliverable because of employee turnover.

We have also had such a problem at NBS and have therefore created MAIL
address synonyms such as SYSTEMS, MANAGEMENT, and LIAISON to ensure that
mail is correctly delivered no matter who the incumbent happens to be.

I suggest that all systems which permit MAIL address synonyms install
them.  I further suggest that the NIC or the ARPANet management select a
standardized set of synonyms, thus increasing their utility.

    Marshall Abrams

AI ELI5

On this page
PROBLEMWhen mail is sent to a person by name and that person moves to a different role or organization, the mail becomes undeliverable unless they update their correspondents.
MECHANISMRFC 763 suggests creating mail address synonyms for official roles (SYSTEMS, MANAGEMENT, LIAISON) that map to the current job holder, regardless of changes in personnel.
WHAT THIS ISThis is a brief suggestion, not a standard. The concept of role-based addresses has been useful in organizations, though email-based role handling varies widely.

§1The Problem of Employee Turnover

In large organizations, mail often needs to reach someone in a particular role rather than a specific individual. When the person in a role changes due to resignations, promotions, or reassignments, mail sent to their personal address becomes undeliverable. This happens frequently in organizations like NBS (National Bureau of Standards).

When the manager quits, mail to their email address bounces. You have to figure out who the new manager is and resend it.

§2Role-Based Mail Address Synonyms

RFC 763 recommends that mail systems supporting address synonyms install common role mailboxes such as SYSTEMS, MANAGEMENT, and LIAISON. These addresses are mapped to the current job holder through the system's mail address forwarding mechanism. When someone leaves a role, the mapping is updated to point to the new incumbent, without changing the role address itself.

The address SYSTEMS always goes to whoever manages the computers, even if that person changes.

§3Standardization and Adoption

The RFC proposes that the NIC (Network Information Center) or ARPANET management select and publish a standardized set of role mailboxes that all sites should support. This would increase the utility of role-based addressing across the entire network. However, RFC 763 is a brief memo, not a specification, leaving the details of implementation to individual systems.

If every site used the same role names, mail to SYSTEMS@anywhere would go to the right person everywhere.