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rfc:rfc221

Network Working Group R. Watson Request for Comments: 221 SRI-ARC NIC: 7612 25 August 1971

                   A Mail Box Protocol, Version-2

INTRODUCTION

 Initial reaction to RFC 196, "A Mail Box Protocol", NIC (7141,)
 indicates general agreement on the need for such a mechanism.  The
 conventions suggested in RFC 196 assumed only the use of the Data
 Transfer Protocol (in NIC 7104) in order to simplify an initial
 implementation.  The valid argument, we believe, has been made that
 sites will also implement the File Transfer Protocol and that as much
 as possible the Mail Box Protocol should be a subset of it.  This
 version is in answer to this suggestion.
 The purpose of a mail box protocol is to provide at each site a
 standard mechanism to receive sequential files for immediate or
 deferred printing or other uses.  The files for deferred printing
 would probably be stored in intermediate disk files, although details
 of how a file is handled, stored, manipulated, or printed at a site
 are not the concern of this protocol.
 A mail box, as we see it, is simply a write only (from the Network)
 sequential file to which messages and documents are appended,
 separated by an appropriate site dependent code.
 It is also assumed that there would be a program at the sending site
 which sends the file in the format given below with the optional
 control codes when appropriate.  This program could probably be
 accessed as a subcommand of the Telnet program.
 The motivation for developing this protocol is the Network
 Information Center's (NIC) need to be able to deliver messages and
 documents to remote sites, and to be able to receive documents for
 cataloging, redistribution, and other purposes from remote sites
 without having to know the details of path name conventions and file
 system commands at each site.  Multiple mail boxes (256) are allowed
 at each site and are identified as described below.  The default is
 mail box number 0 for use with the standard mail printer defined
 below.
 The only place where the Mail Box Protocol has a potential conflict
 with the File Transfer Protocol is in file naming conventions.  The
 File Transfer Protocol assumes that the using site will use a
 filename which follows the access and file path name conventions of

Watson [Page 1] RFC 221 MAIL BOX PROTOCOL, VERSION-2 25 August 1971

 the serving site and that this information would be supplied by the
 user.  In the Mail Box protocol we would like not to have to
 explicitly know the path name conventions at each site.
 In other words there is a need for a network virtual pathname
 convention.  We did not want to solve this problem in general at this
 time and in RFC 196, NIC 7141, proposed the use of a separate socket
 for mail type delivery and the use of an integer 0-127 to specify the
 address of a specific file (Mail Box) to be appended to as the
 simplest form of network-wide standard file name convention for an
 initial implementation.
 To follow more closely the spirit of the File Transfer Protocol, I
 would now recommend the Append Request be specifically used and that
 the standard socket agreed on for use with the File Transfer Protocol
 also be used.  Following the byte indicating an Append request, there
 would be a standard agreed-upon string of letters followed by a
 number, indicating that this is a mail box append request.  A
 suggested name string would be NETMAIL#, where # is a byte
 interpreted as a mail box number 0-255.  If the above suggested Mail
 Box file naming convention is unsuitable and some other network-wide
 standard mail box naming can be agreed on, then it can be used.
 Please let me know how you feel about this naming convention.
 Given agreement on a standard mail box pathname, then the Mail Box
 Protocol can utilize a subset of the File Transfer Protocol
 conventions to be given below.
 The other problem which was raised about the Mail Box Protocol was
 the possibility of someone accidentally or deliberately flooding the
 printer of a site with garbage, as there are no access or file size
 controls.  Some thinking and discussions of this problem have yielded
 no simple satisfactory solutions.  I would recommend initial
 implementations without standard special safeguards in this area.
 Safeguards would be a site-dependent option.  Standard safeguards for
 the above problem can be easily added later if they really prove
 necessary and satisfactory ones can be agreed on.

Watson [Page 2] RFC 221 MAIL BOX PROTOCOL, VERSION-2 25 August 1971

                     MAIL BOX PROTOCOL - VERSION 2
 The Mail Box Protocol will use established network conventions,
 specifically the Network Control Program, Initial Connection
 Protocol, Data Transfer Protocol, and File Transfer Protocol (as
 described in Current Network Protocols, NIC 7104).
 The normal transmission for Mail Box 0 is to be Network ASCII.  The
 standard receiving mail printer for mail box number 0 is assumed to
 have a print line 72 characters wide, and a page of 66 lines.  The
 new line convention will be carriage return (Hex '0D'), (Octal '015')
 followed by line feed (Hex '0A') (Octal '012') as per the Telnet
 Protocol, RFC 158, NIC 6768.  The standard printer will accept form
 feed (Hex '0C') (Octal '014') as meaning move paper to the top of a
 new page.
 It is the sender's responsibility to control the length of the print
 line and page.  If more than 72 characters per line are sent, or if
 more than 66 lines are sent without a form feed, then the receiving
 site can handle these situations as appropriate for them.  These
 conventions can be changed by control codes as described below.
 At the head of the message or document sent to mail box number 0
 there is to be an initial address string terminated by a form feed.
 This address string is to contain the sender's name and address, and
 the receiver's name and address formatted in some reasonable, easy-
 to-read form for a clerk to read and distribute.  Comments could also
 be included in the address string.
 The format of information in mail boxes other than mail box number 0
 is not explicitly defined by this protocol.

Initial Connection

 Initial Connection will be as per the Official Initial Connection
 Protocol, Document #2, NIC 7101, to the standard File Transfer socket
 not yet assigned.  A candidate socket number, socket #3, has been
 suggested.

File Transfer

 The mail item (file) to be transferred would be transferred according
 to the File Transfer Protocol.
 As per the File Transfer Protocol, a file (mail item) can be sent in
 more than one data transaction as defined in the Data Transfer
 Protocol.  End of file is indicated by the file separator (as defined
 in Data Transfer Protocol) or by closing the connection.

Watson [Page 3] RFC 221 MAIL BOX PROTOCOL, VERSION-2 25 August 1971

Order of Transactions

 The only basic operation required is an append.
                  Append Request
 (Mailer) User  -------------------->  server (Mail Box)
                   <File - data>
  1. ——————>
                 End of File indication
  1. ——————>
                     Acknowledge
                 <-------------------
 The data type default is network ASCII.  The standard line printer
 default is as defined above.  Other control transactions can be used.

CONTROL TRANSACTIONS TO BE USED

 OP CODE
 Hex     Octal
 00      000     Change data type identifier
 09      011     Error or unsuccessful terminate
 0A      012     Acknowledge or successful terminate
 0B      013     Append request (add to existing file)
 5A      132     Change printer control settings

DATA TYPE CODES

 All data types of the File Transfer Protocol can be used for special
 applications.  For Mail Box 0, default is 8 bit bytes of Network
 ASCII characters.

ERROR CODES

 All error codes defined in the File Transfer Protocol could be
 returned.

Watson [Page 4] RFC 221 MAIL BOX PROTOCOL, VERSION-2 25 August 1971

PRINTER CONTROL CODES

   Hex     Octal
   01      321     Meaning:  Set line width to 72 characters
   02      322     Meaning:  Use the full width of your printer
   03      323     Meaning:  Set page size to 66 lines
   04      324     Meaning:  Set page size to infinite
 Other virtual printer control codes can be added in the future.
 Other classes of control codes can be added as the need arises.
 <JOURNAL>7612.NLS;1, 27-AUG-71 10:41 RWW ; (Expedite) Title:
 Author(s): Richard W. Watson/RWW; Distribution: SDC2 TFL JWM JFH REL
 AOJO JEW AWH DLM PWF RAW HRVZ AAM RLS JMM JMW AKB PMK TNP ASL BMW JAM
 EAF RTB JMP BDW JTM JCL AJB CDS RFH EMA;/NWG; Sub-Collections: NWG
 ARC NIC; RFC# 221; Clerk: RWW;
 Origin: <WATSON>MAIL.NLS;4, 27-AUG-71 9:51 RWW ;
       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
          [ into the online RFC archives by Ryan Kato 6/01 ]

Watson [Page 5]

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