Re: [cobalt-users] [RaQ2] Offtopic: Another way of getting emails

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 06:55 PM 3/14/00 +0100, you wrote:

> First this seems easy. Setup one catch-all pop3 box, his exchange server
> fetches all emails from this account and delivers it to the local pop3
> boxes. The problem is that some emails (e.g. the ones generated by mailing
> lists) don't containt the right "To:" fields. So his local system will
> sometimes not be able to determine the right receiver.

There's actually a better solution...

It's called ETRN.  See the appropriate RFC for information.  You keep his 
mail in his mail queue.  When he dials in, he gives you a signal, and you 
send him his mail.

We've implemented it on our Windows-based mailserver (Mailtraq, at 
<www.mailtraqna.com>), and I believe it's built into the version of 
Sendmail that's on the RaQ2 and above (don't know about the earlier 
ones).  What I don't know is how to set up Exchange to send an ETRN.  (This 
does require that the customer has static IP#, in other words that he gets 
the same IP# whenever he logs in.  My experience has been that a lot of 
European ISPs offer this, either as default or for a small extra fee.

> The problem is now (for me) to find a solution how to keep all the internal
> data used in a SMTP session. My customer has told about something like
> "Q-SMTP" or "TURN" or "ETURN" I have never heard off....

TURN has too many security holes.  ETRN, which I mention above, is the 
successor and fixes the holes.  Neither solution uses a catchall pop3 box.

You CAN use a catchall box, but as you've already learned, the "envelope" 
information disappears, and you can't always depend on the information in 
the "To:" and "Cc:" fields.

So you need to configure sendmail to add a header, usually 
"X-apparently-to:" with the envelope addressee information in it, before 
sending the email to the POP3 box.  I'm not sure if sendmail or procmail 
will do this.  We have all parts of this solution in Mailtraq, because it 
was written in the UK, where connect time is also at a premium, and where 
people also dialup for short periods to send/receive their mail.

> Perhaps someone of you can help. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I hope so, because I want to implement it, too, and I don't want to spend 
weeks looking for it <wry grin>.

If you get any help offlist, please pass it on!  Thanks!

Jeff

--
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>