[plug] Am trying to set up a newsgroup as a "knowledge base" for programming lessons...

[David Campbell]

From:           	"Paul Wilson" <hooker at opera.iinet.net.au>
To:             	<plug at linux.org.au>
Subject:        	Re: [plug] Am trying to set up a newsgroup as a "knowledge base"  for programming lessons...
Date sent:      	Tue, 3 Nov 1998 16:26:44 +0700
Send reply to:  	plug at linux.org.au

> > From: Gary Allpike <spice at linux.spice.net.au>
> > To: 'plug at linux.org.au'
> > Subject: RE: [plug] Am trying to set up a newsgroup as a "knowledge base"
>  for programming lessons...
> > Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 12:44 PM
> > 
> > 
> > Just remember,
> > 
> > sendmail is NOT a POP server.
> > 
> > You will need something else to do POP - I suggest cucipop.
> > 
> > Sendmail - despite its name - doesnt SEND mail to the client - only to
> > other servers.
> 
> You're in danger of starting a semi-religious war based (as usual) on
> semantics ! 

*snip*

Sendmail "pushes" the mail along, the POP protocol awaits for the user to 
"pull" the mail off the server.

The sendmail daemon sits on a spool directory and tries to empty it (by 
unloading it onto other servers), depending on the size of the mail load it is 
normally quite successful. Also the sendmail daemon also listens to port 25 
for SMTP jobs which get dumped into the spool directory, then in turn back 
out to the world or the users' incoming mail folder. Sendmail is one of those 
beasts that:
	a) No-one really knows where it came from
	b) No-one fully understands
	c) No-one has a mail daemon as flexible or powerful
		(flame me on this last one)

The protocols it has to deal with are (AFAIK):
	a) SMTP
	b) UUCP (by modems, etc)
	c) local mail

The POP mail protocol would appear to have been designed as a method for 
desktop machines (please think about 5-10 years ago here) to read mail from 
a central mail server (a UNIX or similar box). POP is not designed as an inter-
server mail transfer protocol, sendmail is geared more towards the interserver 
(and internal delivery).

There was a discussion some time ago about the correct submission for 
delivery of email from a client. POP only allows the user to collect email, not 
send it. Most email front-ends then send the mail via SMTP down the throat 
of sendmail. There is an option for sendmail to disable recieving email from 
untrusted addresses (read here spamming) so another method must be 
found (and I forgot what the result was).

*scratch head*

How did we get onto the subject of sendmail again?

David Campbell
=======================================================
campbell at torque.net

Current project list:
a) Maintain Linux ZIP drivers (documentation needed)
b) Create Linux chipset specific parport drivers


Any assistance to clearing this list most welcome