S.Kille@cs.ucl.ac.uk (Steve Kille) (11/15/89)
You may have heard that UCL is developing a Message Transfer Agent called PP.
We have reached the stage where the system is ready to let out of UCL on a
limited basis. This message is a request for beta test sites, and also
announces a mailing list.
MAILING LIST
For anyone interested in PP, there is a mailing list: pp-people@cs.ucl.ac.uk.
To join, send to pp-people-request@cs.ucl.ac.uk (S=pp-people-request; OU=CS;
O=UCL; PRMD=UK.AC; ADMD=Gold 400; C=GB;).
WHAT IS PP
PP is a Message Transfer Agent, developed primarily at the Departments of
Computer Science at UCL and Nottingham. This develpment started in early
1986, aimed as a followon to MMDF, getting things "right", and adding in
X.400. This took much longer than we'd have imagined, and has also changed
significantly since the original ideas.
The main aims of PP are:
- robust operation for switching large numbers of messages
- support for other groups to build UAs
- managability
- support for multiple message transfer protocols
and conversion between them
- message content conversion
The major components of the first release of PP will be:
- (UA) service interfaces giving a superset of RFC 822 and X.400(88)
funtionality, including some aspects beyond both. This includes
all of X.400(88), except the new O/R Address components.
- Single Queue with scheduler and management tools
- Uniform Error reporting, aligned to X.400
- X-windows based MTA Console
- Local delivery as 822 text, including mail filtering and
associated tools
- Local delivery as structured message (experimental)
- Protocol support
+ SMTP
+ JNT Mail (non-spooled, integrated with unix-niftp)
+ UUCP
+ X.400(84)
+ X.400(88) - experimental version only
- Conversion
+ RFC 987/RFC 1026 (with some extensions following the unpublished 987(88))
+ RFC 934
+ UK domain ordering
+ body part format control
- Protocol independent distribution lists
- Authorisation
PP will be openly available, and distributed in conjunction with ISODE
A warning: PP is not a sylph - it is getting on for the size of the rest of
ISODE. If you like small mail systems, PP is not for you.
TIMESCALES
Following PP, my timescale estimates will not be believed for the rest of my
life! However, let me give some history and plans:
March 89: A pre-release of PP 3.0 appeared at Hannover Fair, and was used
to convert between X.400 carrying ODIF and BBN Diamond with 822 addressing.
(The ODIF converters are simple filters, which are not a part of PP).
July 89: PP 3.0 was sent to our alpha site at Cambridge. It was also
installed to gateway between non-EAN X.400 and the UK Academic Community
(which low volume service it has been performing since).
Start Dec 89: PP 4.0 will be sent to beta test sites, and phased in to
run various UK, UCL, and Nottingham services.
Feb/March 90: PP 5.0 will be made generally available. With the exception
of various 1988 aspects, this will be primarily a hardened version of 4.0.
BETA TEST SITES
We are looking for about 10 beta test sites to help us knock PP into shape,
and ensure that it provides the services which are really needed.
Some sites (you know who you are) are already agreed. Can you ack this
message nonetheless.
We're primarily looking for Academic/Research sites, who will be planning to
replace MMDF or Sendmail with PP. I will look at commercial test sites, but
will need persuading.
Any beta test site should be running ISODE now. PP will link with ISODE 5.0
(recommended) or the version on ISODE development sites. Beta test sites
shoudl be familiar with large mail systems used in complex configurations.
We are interested in any sort of feedback, including:
- bug fixes
- portability issues, and ports to new UNIX flavours (currently SUNOS and
Ultrix only).
- functionality issues (particularly if fixes offerred)
- new UUCP channel (the current channel and rmail are not very satisfactory)
- new Channels
We are interested in sites which plan to work on (openly available) UAs.
Whilst PP can be used with MH, we are hoping that state of the are UAs will
be contributed to go with PP.
In general, I'd like sites which are able to put in some real effort, and
want to make the whole thing fly. If you just want to look, please wait
for 5.0.
Steve