--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2003/10/04 02:27:02	1.425
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2003/10/06 20:38:25	1.427
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network
 # TCP networking package
 #
-# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.425 2003/10/04 02:27:02 albertel Exp $
+# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.427 2003/10/06 20:38:25 www Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -586,9 +586,9 @@ sub authenticate {
 sub homeserver {
     my ($uname,$udom,$ignoreBadCache)=@_;
     my $index="$uname:$udom";
-    if ($homecache{$index}) { 
-        return "$homecache{$index}"; 
-    }
+
+    my ($result,$cached)=&is_cached(\%homecache,$index,'home',86400);
+    if (defined($cached)) { return $result; }
     my $tryserver;
     foreach $tryserver (keys %libserv) {
         next if ($ignoreBadCache ne 'true' && 
@@ -596,8 +596,7 @@ sub homeserver {
 	if ($hostdom{$tryserver} eq $udom) {
            my $answer=reply("home:$udom:$uname",$tryserver);
            if ($answer eq 'found') { 
-              $homecache{$index}=$tryserver;
-              return $tryserver; 
+	       return &do_cache(\%homecache,$index,$tryserver,'home');
            } elsif ($answer eq 'no_host') {
 	       $badServerCache{$tryserver}=1;
            }
@@ -2712,6 +2711,31 @@ sub is_on_map {
     }
 }
 
+# --------------------------------------------------------- Get symb from alias
+
+sub get_symb_from_alias {
+    my $symb=shift;
+    my ($map,$resid,$url)=&decode_symb($symb);
+# Already is a symb
+    if ($url) { return $symb; }
+# Must be an alias
+    my $aliassymb='';
+    my %bighash;
+    if (tie(%bighash,'GDBM_File',$ENV{'request.course.fn'}.'.db',
+                            &GDBM_READER(),0640)) {
+        my $rid=$bighash{'mapalias_'.$symb};
+	if ($rid) {
+	    my ($mapid,$resid)=split(/\./,$rid);
+	    $aliassymb=
+		&declutter($bighash{'map_id_'.$mapid}).
+		'___'.$resid.'___'.
+		&declutter($bighash{'src_'.$rid});
+	}
+        untie %bighash;
+    }
+    return $aliassymb;
+}
+
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------- Define Role
 
 sub definerole {
@@ -3430,6 +3454,9 @@ sub EXT {
     #get real user name/domain, courseid and symb
     my $courseid;
     my $publicuser;
+    if ($symbparm) {
+	$symbparm=&get_symb_from_alias($symbparm);
+    }
     if (!($uname && $udom)) {
       (my $cursymb,$courseid,$udom,$uname,$publicuser)=
 	  &Apache::lonxml::whichuser($symbparm);