Re: server redirects by client domain

Shel Kaphan (sjk@amazon.com)
Wed, 20 Dec 1995 11:02:23 -0800


David Robinson writes:
> >From: Martin Hamilton <martin@mrrl.lut.ac.uk>
> >
> >I was just wondering whether there are any HTTP servers out there
> >which let the server admin configure redirects based on the
> >client's domain name.
...

> Whilst this may be the best that one can do with current protocols, it
> seems to approach the problem from the angle.
>
> Rather than trying to force the client to use the server that you think
> would be best for it, it would seem better to provide data to allow the
> client to choose.
...
>
> David Robinson.
>

I'm going to float this idea because I thought of it, not necessarily
because I have thought it through . . . wouldn't this be the kind of
thing it would be nice if DNS could do for you? There's already a
round-robin feature in it which some people use for load balancing.
Letting people pick a mirror site without having to make an HTTP
connection at all seems like a related feature.

--Shel Kaphan