By definition, "BITNET GATES XYZ" and "BITNET GATES ABC" are two completely different files, which, a priori, do not point to the same physical file. Consider for example the file "PROFILE EXEC SPOOLMON" (from the SPOOL monitor filelist) and "PROFILE EXEC ACCNT" (from the ACCNT accounting server - note: these two names are pure fiction). You obviously want them to be two different files. Also, the owner of filelist A doesn't have to get the agreement of the owners of filelists B,C,D,E and F to create a "PROFILE EXEC" file on his filelist, and doesn't run the risk to be told "Sorry, this file has already been defined on filelist C". Now it is possible for the LISTSERV maintainer to set the pointers in such a way that the two entries point to the same PHYSICAL file. This is not the default, but it can be done. In the BITNIC case, I would bet on it being the case. But LISTSERV doesn't know this, or rather, it doesn't look at the information until it needs to (for obvious performance reasons). Now if the NIC modifies BITNET GATES by doing a PUT BITNET GATES NETINFO, you will receive AFD for the file from filelist NETINFO but not from filelist XYZ, because LISTSERV doesn't know this file has been modified (it would have to scan all the filelists for a matching name if it wanted to know this). So you get only one copy. In any case, if the XYZ filelist is defunct and has been removed, you can only get one copy of the file because "BITNET GATES XYZ" no longer exists. Eric