This section shows sample configuration files for a UUCP leaf site on a local area network. They are based on the sample files included in the source distribution of smail-3.1.28. Although I make a feeble attempt to explain how these files work, you are advised to read the very fine smail(8) manual page, which discusses these files in great length. Once you've understood the basic idea behind smail configuration, it's worthwhile reading. It's easy!
The first file shown is the routers file, which describes a set of routers to smail. When smail has to deliver a message to a given address, it hands the address to all routers in turn, until one of them matches it. Matching here means that the router finds the destination host in its database, be it the paths file, /etc/hosts, or whatever routing mechanism the router interfaces to.
Entries in smail configuration files always begin with a unique name identifying the router, transport, or director. They are followed by a list of attributes that define its behavior. This list consists of a set of global attributes, such as the driver used, and private attributes that are only understood by that particular driver. Attributes are separated by commas, while the sets of global and private attributes are separated from each other using a semicolon.
To make these fine distinctions clear, assume you want to maintain two separate pathalias files; one containing the routing information for your domain, and a second one containing global routing information, probably generatzed from the UUCP maps. With smail, you can now specify two routers in the routers file, both of which use the pathalias driver. This driver looks up hostnames in a pathalias database. It expects to be given the name of the file in a private attribute: