[comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc] KA9Q POP server is broken

BHOLMES@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU (04/11/91)

I broke out our SNIFFER and found out that the POP server in KA9Q is broken.
Since POP uses TCP, the server should not exspect to see an entire command
in one packet.  TCP is a stream protocol and the server should peice
together incoming packets until a command separator, in this case CRLF,
is received.  The POP server in KA9Q is exspecting an entire command to
be in 1 TCP packet therefore is broken.  I've seen this in several POP server
implementations which is why I mention it here.  FYI

BHOLMES@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU (04/12/91)

Oops my mistake, thanks Milton Miller@purdue for pointing that out.
When I saw an "invalid command" packet coming from the POP server
with our SNIFFER I immediatly concluded that it was a TCP stream problem.
It turns out instead to be a case problem.  The POP server appears to
only accept upper case commands.  I don't think that the commands must
be in upper case, but I havn't looked at the RFC either.
------------------------- Original Article -------------------------
>I broke out our SNIFFER and found out that the POP server in KA9Q is broken.
>Since POP uses TCP, the server should not exspect to see an entire command
>in one packet.  TCP is a stream protocol and the server should peice
>together incoming packets until a command separator, in this case CRLF,
>is received.  The POP server in KA9Q is exspecting an entire command to
>be in 1 TCP packet therefore is broken.  I've seen this in several POP server
>implementations which is why I mention it here.  FYI