Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes) (03/26/91)
Have there been any attempts to define a standard for the transmission
of multiple binary files inside of an RFC-822 envelope? Is there
anything about RFC-822 that makes this impossible? It seems to me that
this capability is going to become very important to companies who
want to make use of cheap TCP/IP internets and SMTP as the backbone
for their email networks.
Thanks,
Will Estes Internet: Will@cup.portal.com
UUCP: apple!cup.portal.com!Willjxr@THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (Jonathan Rosenberg) (03/28/91)
> Have there been any attempts to define a standard for the transmission > of multiple binary files inside of an RFC-822 envelope? Is there > anything about RFC-822 that makes this impossible? It seems to me that > this capability is going to become very important to companies who > want to make use of cheap TCP/IP internets and SMTP as the backbone > for their email networks. This is part of a long & heated discussion that's been going on on the ietf-smtp list. If you send mail to ietf-smtp-request@dimacs.rutgers.edu you can (try to) follow the discussion. > Thanks, > Will Estes Internet: Will@cup.portal.com JR
philf@xymox.metaphor.com (Phil Fernandez) (03/28/91)
In article <40567@cup.portal.com> Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes) writes: >Have there been any attempts to define a standard for the transmission >of multiple binary files inside of an RFC-822 envelope? Is there >anything about RFC-822 that makes this impossible? It seems to me that >this capability is going to become very important to companies who >want to make use of cheap TCP/IP internets and SMTP as the backbone >for their email networks. At Metaphor we have done a fair amount of thought-work on this issue, and have built an effective working prototype for the transmission of multiple binary attachments in an RFC-822 message transmitted via SMTP. I'd be very interested in discussing approaches and possible standardization with others. pmf -- Phil Fernandez | philf@metaphor.com Director, System Software | ...!{apple|decwrl}!metaphor!philf Development | Metaphor Computer Systems | "Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind Mountain View, CA | rule the body? I dunno..." - Morrissey
nsb@THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (Nathaniel Borenstein) (03/28/91)
Excerpts from internet.mmm-people: 28-Mar-91 Re: Multiple Binary Attachm.. Phil Fernandez@apple.com (1073) > In article <40567@cup.portal.com> Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes) writes: > >Have there been any attempts to define a standard for the transmission > >of multiple binary files inside of an RFC-822 envelope? Is there > >anything about RFC-822 that makes this impossible? It seems to me that > >this capability is going to become very important to companies who > >want to make use of cheap TCP/IP internets and SMTP as the backbone > >for their email networks. > At Metaphor we have done a fair amount of thought-work on this issue, > and have built an effective working prototype for the transmission of > multiple binary attachments in an RFC-822 message transmitted via > SMTP. Actually, there have been DOZENS of prototypes. A lot of the people and organizations who have built such prototypes are now trying, via the IETF-SMTP mailing list, to converge on a standard way of representing multiple body parts. We're currently working towards a third version of a draft RFC, which will (with luck) be posted to the list next week. -- Nathaniel Borenstein <nsb@thumper.bellcore.com>
hansen@pegasus.att.com (Tony L. Hansen) (03/29/91)
< Actually, there have been DOZENS of prototypes. A lot of the people < and organizations who have built such prototypes are now trying, via < the IETF-SMTP mailing list, to converge on a standard way of < representing multiple body parts. We're currently working towards a < third version of a draft RFC, which will (with luck) be posted to the < list next week. One note: AT&T Mail has had a working "standard" way of representing multiple body parts for quite a few years. Their mail system has also been handling binary messages since day 2. Plus, their standard method of representing the presence of multiple parts is mostly upwardly compatible with rfc 822. Tony Hansen hansen@pegasus.att.com, tony@attmail.com att!pegasus!hansen, attmail!tony
rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) (03/30/91)
There is an IETF working group for SMTP extensions that will probably be addressing at least some of these areas... To be added to the list, send to ietf-smtp-request@dimacs.rutgers.edu -- Please send comp.sources.unix-related mail to rsalz@uunet.uu.net. Use a domain-based address or give alternate paths, or you may lose out.