8 date 92.05.12.22.23.34; author jromine; state Exp;
13 date 92.02.05.22.28.18; author jromine; state Exp;
18 date 92.02.05.22.26.49; author jromine; state Exp;
23 date 90.11.21.10.09.32; author mh; state Exp;
28 date 90.04.05.15.08.37; author sources; state Exp;
33 date 90.03.22.11.31.19; author sources; state Exp;
38 date 90.03.20.19.41.57; author sources; state Exp;
43 date 90.03.20.17.36.14; author sources; state Exp;
48 date 90.02.05.14.48.11; author sources; state Exp;
53 date 90.02.05.14.47.20; author sources; state Exp;
64 @fixup for nroff problems
68 .\" @@(#)$Id: mh-mts.rf,v 1.9 1992/02/05 22:28:18 jromine Exp jromine $
71 mh-mts \- the MH interface to the message transport system
84 \fIMH\fR can use a wide range of message transport systems to deliver mail.
85 Although the \fIMH\fR administrator usually doesn't get to choose which MTS
86 to use (since it's already in place),
87 this document briefly describes the interfaces.
89 When communicating with \fISendMail\fR,
90 \fIMH\fR always uses the SMTP to post mail.
91 Depending on the \fIMH\fR configuration,
92 \fISendMail\fR may be invoked directly (via a \fIfork\fR and an \fIexec\fR),
93 or \fIMH\fR may open a TCP/IP connection to the SMTP server on the localhost.
95 When communicating with \fIzmailer\fP,
96 the \fISendMail\fP compatibility program is
97 required to be installed in /usr/lib.
98 \fIMH\fP communicates with \fIzmailer\fP
100 It does this by invoking the \fB/usr/lib/sendmail\fP
101 compatibility program directly, with the `\-bs' option.
103 When communicating with \fIMMDF\fR,
104 normally \fIMH\fR uses the \*(lqmm\(ru\*(rq routines to post mail.
105 However, depending on the \fIMH\fR configuration,
106 \fIMH\fR instead may open a TCP/IP connection to the SMTP server on the
109 When using the stand\-alone system (\fBNOT\fR recommended),
110 \fIMH\fR delivers local mail itself and queues \fIUUCP\fR and network mail.
111 The network mail portion will probably have to be modified to reflect the
112 local host's tastes, since there is no well\-known practice in this area for
113 all types of UNIX hosts.
115 If you are running a UNIX system with TCP/IP networking,
116 then it is felt that the best interface is achieved by using either
117 \fISendMail\fR or \fIMMDF\fR with the SMTP option.
118 This gives greater flexibility.
119 To enable this option you append the /smtp suffix to the mts option in the
120 \fIMH\fR configuration.
121 This yields two primary advantages:
123 you don't have to know where \fIsubmit\fR or \fISendMail\fR live.
124 This means that \fIMH\fR binaries (e.g., \fIpost\fR\0)
125 don't have to have this information hard\-coded,
126 or can run different programs altogether;
128 second, you can post mail with the server on different systems, so you don't
129 need either \fIMMDF\fR or \fISendMail\fR on your local host.
130 Big win in conserving cycles and disk space.
131 Since \fIMH\fR supports the notion of a server search\-list in this respect,
132 this approach can be tolerant of faults.
133 Be sure to set \*(lqservers:\*(rq as described in
134 mh\-tailor(8) if you use this option.
136 There are four disadvantages to using the SMTP option:
137 First, only UNIX systems with TCP/IP are supported.
138 Second, you need to have an SMTP server running somewhere on any network your
139 local host can reach.
140 Third, this bypasses any authentication mechanisms in \fIMMDF\fR
143 the file \fB/etc/hosts\fR is used for hostname lookups
144 (although there is an exception file).
145 In response to these disadvantages though:
146 First, there's got to be an SMTP server somewhere around if you're in the
147 Internet or have a local network.
148 Since the server search\-list is very general,
149 a wide\-range of options are possible.
151 SMTP should be fixed to have authentication mechanisms in it, like POP.
153 \fIMH\fR won't choke on mail to hosts whose official names it can't verify,
154 it'll just plug along
156 if you enable the BERK or DUMB configuration options,
157 \fIMH\fR ignores the hosts file altogether).
159 ^@@(MHETCPATH)/mtstailor~^tailor file
163 \fIMMDF\-II: A Technical Review\fR,
164 Proceedings, Usenix Summer '84 Conference
166 \fISENDMAIL \-\- An Internetwork Mail Router\fR
168 mh\-tailor(8), post(8)
174 The @@(MHETCPATH)/mtstailor file ignores the information in the \fIMMDF\-II\fR
188 .\" @@(#)$Id: mh-mts.rf,v 1.8 1992/02/05 22:26:49 jromine Exp jromine $
192 mh\-mts \- the MH interface to the message transport system
203 .\" @@(#)$Id: mh-mts.rf,v 1.7 1990/11/21 10:09:32 mh Exp jromine $
215 .\" @@(#)$Id: mh-mts.rf,v 1.6 90/04/05 15:08:37 sources Exp Locker: mh $
234 @put things back, do .NA stuff another way
248 .TH MH\-MTS 8 @@(MHCENTERFOOT) @@(MHLEFTFOOT)
258 @fixup for makewhatis
263 .TH MH\-MTS 8 [mh.6] MH
292 If you are running a 4.2BSD UNIX system,
295 First, only 4.2BSD UNIX is supported.
298 First, 4.2BSD UNIX is the best UNIX around for networking.
299 When other UNIXes get TCP/IP and real networking,
300 \fIMH\fR can be modified.
301 Second, there's got to be an SMTP server somewhere around if you're in the
304 SMTP should be fixed to have authentication mechanisms in it, like POP.