NED@HMCVAX.BITNET (10/15/86)
1-Oct-1986
Some of you may be familiar with PMDF, the mailer used on VAX/VMS systems
by CSNET PhoneNet sites. Happily, PMDF is now available to non-CSNET
users. Here is a brief summary of PMDF (culled from the System Manager's
Guide to PMDF):
"The Pascal Memo Distribution Facility (PMDF) is a general-purpose
system for delivering computer-based mail. PMDF provides a uniform
distribution environment that can be interfaced to multiple user
interfaces and transport mechanisms. This version of PMDF for
VAX/VMS, called PMDF-822 V2.2, uses the standard VMS MAIL facility as
its user interface and provides support for the PhoneNet dialup
protocol on asynchronous lines as its primary transport mechanism.
PMDF-822 V2.2 also supports DECnet, DECnet-based MAIL, JNET (a product
of Joiner Associates Inc., this is an implementation of the IBM RSCS
networking system for VAX/VMS), SMTP over TCP/IP (the Tektronix
implementation for VAX/VMS), and PSIMail as transport mechanisms.
PMDF was developed by Ira Winston of the Department of Computer and
Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Ned Freed of
the Department of Mathematics at Oklahoma State University, Mark
Vasoll of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at
Oklahoma State University and John Carosso of Harvey Mudd College.
PMDF is a subset of the Multi-channel Memo Distribution Facility
(MMDF), developed by the Department of Electrical Engineering at the
University of Delaware. MMDF is available on all 4.3BSD UNIX systems,
so PMDF can be used to attach VMS VAXen to UNIX systems over terminal
line connections.
PMDF is fully compliant with the address conventions of RFC822
('domains'), the standard for the format of Internet text messages.
SMTP support complies with RFC821 (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).
PMDF is distributed by CSNET to its members. Organizations which are
not members of CSNET can obtain copies of PMDF for the cost of
distribution from:
Ned Freed (ned@ymir.bitnet)
The PMDF Project
Computing Services
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA 91711
(714) 621-8006"
Note that while PMDF is not a commercial product (no charge other than the
distribution fee), it is not in the public domain either since the authors
wish to retain some control over the distribution (we really want to prevent
the dissemination of bogus copies and possible commercialization of PMDF).
A few readers of INFO-VAX are also users of DELIVER, the mail delivery
system I (Ned) wrote for VAX/VMS. The DELIVER system is also included in
the PMDF distribution.
PMDF is not available for network distribution due to its size (about 5000
blocks currently and growing all the time). I realize that this does not
sound like that much to some sites, but our net access is via BITNET, and
the folks upstream from us really object to large transfers (it crashes
their systems in some cases). And before the ArpaNauts start telling me
about FTP, let me say that we update PMDF all the time (creeping featurism)
and remote master copies of PMDF would be unacceptable to us. Sorry, but
that's the way it is...
Anyway, if you're interested in PMDF, please drop me a line. I will also
be at the San Francisco DECUS symposium next week; catch me there.
Ned Freed