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- SEA Technical Memorandum #0303, Coupling GroupMail to EchoMail
- Last updated: October 5, 1989
- Copyright 1988,89 by System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
-
-
-
- Coupling GroupMail to EchoMail
-
-
- Converting an echomail conference into GroupMail is a tricky business that
- requires special software to be done properly and efficiently. However,
- porting a GroupMail conference into echomail is fairly simple.
-
- The distinction here is that if a GroupMail top star exists, then the
- conference is initially GroupMail. But if there is no GroupMail top star,
- then the conference is initially echomail. If the conference DOES have a
- GroupMail topstar, then it can be ported into echomail by a rather simple
- process that almost any system can operate.
-
- For purposes of illustration, we will use a hypothetical case where node
- 520/528 wishes to get the BLATZ conference from node 520/1015 and convert
- it into echomail. Node 520/1015 carries the conference as GroupMail, and
- is a star for that conference. Node 520/528 carries the conference as
- echomail and is performing the gate. All of the gateway functions are
- carried out at node 520/528 -- the GroupMail star at 520/1015 does nothing
- unusual.
-
-
- Node 520/528 must configure the conference on his system as an echomail
- conference, with node 520/1015 as one of his echomail links.
-
- Node 520/528 must also run GROUP in order to obtain the GroupMail archives
- and unpack them. With GROUP he would add the BLATZ conference with the
- "/N" flag, like so:
-
- group add BLATZ Gzorniblatz forum ;520/1015 /N
-
- The "/N" flag tells GROUP that when GroupMail archives for this conference
- are unpacked, the messages should be placed in the network mail area.
- GROUP will place the proper "AREA:" and "SEEN-BY:" lines to each message so
- that they will be handled properly by an echomail processor. Every now and
- then node 520/528 does a GROUP ASK and a GROUP IN, to request new BLATZ
- messages and to import them when they are received.
-
-
- When he's installing GROUP, node 520/528 should also set one of the system
- parameters to keep GroupMail bounceback messages from causing duplicate
- messages on the echomail side. To access the GROUP system parameters
- screen, give the command:
-
- group edit
-
- Then set "Kill bounceback messages" to "YES".
-
-
- The only disadvantage of this process is that, since echomail does not
- preserve the originating address on messages, the "private reply" aspect of
- GROUP will not work properly on messages gated from echomail into
- GroupMail.
-