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- ==== NOSview [301]
- smtp
- ====
-
-
- The 'smtp' commands are used for controlling mail forwarding
- using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp batch [on|off] Default: off
- _________________________________________________________________
- Display or set the smtp batch flag.
-
- When set to 'on', messages in the outgoing mail queue are sent as
- a batch, whereby many of the SMTP commands are sent in one fell
- swoop before waiting for responses. (Unfortunately this breaks
- many brain-damaged SMTP servers, and so may not be usable in
- practice).
-
- >> Example: smtp batch on
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp gateway [<host>]
- _________________________________________________________________
- Displays or sets the host to be used as a "smart" mail relay
- station.
-
- The gateway is used when you are sending mail to any station
- which does not exist in /domain.txt or in the domain cache.
-
- >> Example: smtp gateway ns9gwa
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp kick
- _________________________________________________________________
- The 'smtp kick' command reviews the outgoing mail queue in
- directory /spool/mqueue, and attempts to deliver any pending
- mail.
-
- Normally the queue is reviewed automatically at regular intervals
- (specified by the 'smtp timer' command), but occasionally you may
- want to "kick" the mail system manually to force SMTP to send the
- mail.
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp kill <job_number>
- _________________________________________________________________
- Every outgoing message is allocated a job number (which you can
- discover from the 'smtp list' command; see below). You can then
- kill a particular job with the 'smtp kill' command.
-
- >> Example: smtp kill 6
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp list
- _________________________________________________________________
- List the messages in the outgoing mail queue.
-
- >> Example of 'smtp list' output display:
- ...................................................
- : S Job Size Date Time Host From :
- : L 3 244 09/13 07:13 g9liz helen@ns9bob :
- : bill@g9liz :
- : L 6 243 09/13 07:14 ns9ken bob@ns9bob :
- : fred%ax9bbs@ns9ken :
- :.................................................:
-
- The 'L' entry in the 'S' status column indicates that the message
- entry is locked by SMTP; in other words, SMTP is attempting to
- send the message.
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp maxclients [<count>] Default: 10
- _________________________________________________________________
- Displays or sets the maximum number of simultaneous outgoing SMTP
- sessions that will be allowed. Reduce the number if network
- congestion is a problem.
-
- >> Example: smtp maxclients 10
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp mode [queue|route] Default: route
- _________________________________________________________________
- By default, the SMTP mode is 'route', which means that incoming
- mail is directed to the mail queue /spool/mail. You can then
- read the mail there with the 'bbs' command, or by using an
- external mailer such as BM or ELM.
-
- If the mode is set to 'queue', incoming mail is directed instead
- to the special mail forwarding queue /spool/rqueue. The mail
- is stored in .WRK and .TXT files in the same format as the normal
- outgoing mail files in /spool/mqueue.
-
- A special forwarding program (not supplied with NOS) is then
- required to send the mail in /spool/rqueue onwards to its
- destination.
-
- This mechanism provides added flexibility to NOS for handling
- mail in different ways.
-
- >> Example: smtp mode route
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp quiet [on|off] Default: off
- _________________________________________________________________
- Display or set the SMTP quiet flag.
-
- This flag determines whether the bell sounds when the system
- announces that incoming mail has arrived. When quiet is set to
- 'off' you hear the bell.
-
- >> Example: smtp quiet on
-
- [Some versions of NOS inhibit the incoming mail message as well
- as the bell when quiet is 'on'. This has the advantage that the
- message does not overwrite the screen if you happen to be shelled
- out of NOS when a message arrives].
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp timer [<seconds>] Default: 0
- _________________________________________________________________
- Display or set the interval between automatic scans of the
- outbound mail queue.
-
- Setting a value of zero disables queue scanning altogether.
-
- >> Example: smtp timer 600
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp trace [<value>] Default: 0
- _________________________________________________________________
- Display or set the trace flag in the SMTP client, allowing you to
- watch SMTP's conversations as it delivers mail.
-
- Setting the flag to any non-zero value enables tracing. A value
- of 9 gives a full trace.
-
- >> Example: smtp trace 9
-
- For example, when sending a message, the output of the smtp trace
- is of the form (trace messages shown outdented):
- ................................................................
- : Current msg#0:?,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,N,R,S,T,U,V,W,Z > :
- : sp ken@ns9ken :
- : Subject: Hi Ken :
- : Enter message. Terminate with /EX or ^Z in first column :
- : How are you today? :
- : ^Z :
- : smtp daemon entered, target = 0.0.0.0 :
- : MX lookup for = ns9ken :
- : Mailroute returned = ns9ken :
- : queue job 3 From: bob@ns9bob To: ken@ns9ken :
- : Trying Connection to ns9ken :
- : SMTP client Trying... :
- : Connected :
- : smtp recv: 220 ns9ken SMTP ready :
- : smtp sent: HELO ns9bob :
- : smtp recv: 250 ns9ken, Share and Enjoy! :
- : smtp sent: MAIL FROM:<bob@ns9bob> :
- : smtp recv: 250 Ok :
- : smtp sent: RCPT TO:<ken@ns9ken> :
- : smtp recv: 250 Ok :
- : smtp sent: DATA :
- : smtp recv: 354 Enter mail, end with . :
- : smtp sent: . :
- : smtp recv: 250 Sent :
- : smtp sent: QUIT :
- :..............................................................:
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- smtp usemx [on|off] Default: off
- smtp mxlookup [on|off] Default: off
- _________________________________________________________________
- Display or set a flag enabling or disabling MX record lookups.
- This can be enabled if a domain server is available in the near
- vicinity. It should be disabled (default) if no domain server is
- in reach to satisfy the MX query.
-
- See the 'domain' command for an explanation of MX records.
-
- >> Examples: smtp usemx on
- smtp mxlookup on
-
- When usemx is set to 'off', SMTP will use the current smtp
- gateway setting if it cannot find the recipient host in the
- /domain.txt (see the 'smtp gateway' command above).
-
- For example, if the smtp gateway is ns9gwa and you send a message
- to zz9abc (which is not in /domain.txt or in the domain cache),
- the trace will show:
- ...............................
- : MX lookup for = zz9abc :
- : Mailroute returned = ns9gwa :
- :.............................:
-
- When usemx is set to 'on', SMTP will look for an MX record for
- the message recipient. If an MX record exists, SMTP will route
- the message to the gateway specified in the record.
-
- For example, if "ns9zzz.ampr.org. IN MX 0 ns9mhb.ampr.org."
- exists in /domain.txt, the trace will show the following when
- sending a message to ns9zzz:
- ...............................
- : MX lookup for = ns9zzz :
- : MX lookup returned = ns9mhb :
- : Mailroute returned = ns9mhb :
- :.............................:
-
- Note that MX record handling is very limited in NOS. If an
- answer from a domain name server comes in it is taken to be the
- destination.
-
-
- _________________________________________________________________
- telnet <host> 25
- _________________________________________________________________
- When using the 'telnet' command with well-known port 25, you can
- communicate direct with the SMTP server. This is useful if you
- want to interrogate the ALIAS file on a remote host, to find out
- aliases and mail distribution lists.
-
- For example, here is ns9ken's ALIAS file:
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- bob ns9bob@ns9zzz
- thegang ns9ccc@ns9ddd ns9eee@ns9fff ns9ggg@ns9hhh
- helen NS9HEL%AX9BBS@ns9zzz
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-
- You can then interrogate this file remotely with the command
- 'telnet ns9ken 25'. Once connected, you can give the SMTP 'help'
- command to discover what commands are supported.
-
- One of these commands is 'expn', which you can then use to expand
- alias entries.
-
- When you are done, give the 'quit' command.
-
-
- >> Example of the screen output (with user commands indented):
- ....................................................
- : Resolving ns9ken... Trying ns9ken:smtp... :
- : Telnet session 2 connected to ns9ken :
- : 220 ns9ken SMTP ready :
- : help :
- : 214-Commands :
- : 214-HELO NOOP MAIL QUIT RCPT HELP DATA RSET EXPN :
- : 214 End :
- : expn thegang :
- : 250-ns9ggg@ns9hhh :
- : 250-ns9eee@ns9fff :
- : 250-ns9ccc@ns9ddd :
- : quit :
- : 221 Closing :
- : Telnet session 2 closed: EOF :
- : Hit enter to continue :
- :..................................................:
-