Here's my X-mas present to this list. As promised in San Jose a draft
checklist for users who want to evaluate MIME capable UAs or gateways.
Note that this is a draft and that the E-mail adresses will certainly
change before this is final, so don't even try using them.
Looking forward to your comments,
Erik
Multimedia E-mail (MIME) User Agent checklist
Author: Erik Huizer, SURFnet bv
Version: 1.1 (draft)
Note: None of the mentioned SURFnet e-mail addresses
is operational yet, these addresses may still change!
This document presents a checklist for evaluation that
facilitates evaluation of MIME capable E-mail User Agents. It is
by no means a conformance or interoperability (both strictly
defined and measurable quantities) checklist, but rather an
interworking (practical perspective) checklist that is aimed at
the user and system manager perspective. Suggestions for
improvement of this checklist are welcome at mime(_at_)surfnet(_dot_)nl(_dot_)
If you use this checklist against a specific product (regardless
of whether you're a vendor, implementor or user) you can submit
the result to mime-check(_at_)surfnet(_dot_)nl and this information on will be
made
available (at no cost) through WWW (to be announced) for other
people to browse through.
Although SURFnet will attempt to verify the correctness of each
submission, all submitted, information is made available as is,
with no guarantees (SURFnet does not take any responsibility for
errors in the data that is made available, or for any damages
resulting from usage of the data). Users who want to procure a UA
are advised to use the data as an orientation, and to perform
their own procurement tests (possibly using the checklist below).
Also it is noted that vendors and implementors are encouraged to
use the results from the checklist to improve their products.
Test messages can be requested in the following way:
Send mail to <mime-test(_at_)surfnet(_dot_)nl> with a subject field
containing ONE of the following:
text/plain
text/enriched
image/gif
image/jpeg
audio/basic
video/mpeg
application/octet-stream
application/postscript
message/rfc822
message/partial
message/external-body
multipart/mixed
multipart/parallel
multipart/digest
multipart/alternative
X-<local>
application/wordperfect5.1
application/msword
application/rtf
A message containing the requested content-type will be returned
to the address contained in the from field.
The reader is encouraged to also check out the SUNet MIME
project, at
http://www.chalmers.se/SUNET/Mac-E.html
that offers evaluation tests reports of MIME products, as well as
tests and test-criteria for MIME implementors.
Checklist for Mime UAs
(note that for items with multiple choice options, it is possible
that more than one option is applicable)
1. General information:
1.1 The name and version of the product
1.2 The name and addressing information of the manufacturer
1.3 What are the platforms that are supported (Operating system,
GUI and hardware requirements)? [Note: Please use separate
checklist forms for different platforms!!]
1.4 What is the platform that was used for this checklist
(Operating system, GUI and hardware)? [Note: Only one
platform per checklist!!]
1.5 Is the software available in source format or in binary
format or both.
1.6 Pricing information. Is the software available:
- In the Public Domain, free of charge
- As shareware (what is the price?)
- PD for non-profit use, but not for commercial use
- Commercially
2. System installation, configuration and management
2.1 How complex/easy is installation and configuration? Are
there any pitfalls that need attention? Can you configure
per set of users (i.e systemwide or LAN wide default
configuration) and/or per user?
2.2 Are there facilities for logging and/or accounting?
2.3 Does the UA generate correct RFC-822 headers for outgoing
messages:
From:, (and if necessary) Sender:
Date:
Message-id:
2.4 Is it possible for a non-priviledged user to change the
"from" and/or "sender" field?
2.5 Does the UA have any size restrictions (default or applied
by system manager) for:
- Message size
- Number of messages
- Number of folders
- Number of messages per folder
2.6 How secure is the users mailbox when using this UA? Can
other non-privileged usets access the mailbox?
2.7 What is the performance of the UA on this platform? (As this
is difficult to measure, give your subjective impression:
slow, reasonable or fast) E.g for:
- Displaying a text message
- Displaying a MIME message that contains an image
- Complex actions like sorting etc.
3. General UA properties
3.1 Does the UA have a graphical or a character based interface
or both?
3.2 Does the UA support native RFC-822/MIME or does it require a
gateway?
3.3 Which protocols are supported for message delivery:
a. SMTP (MX records or static routing to Mailhost)
b. ESMTP
c. POP (which version)
d. IMAP
e. Co-location with specific MTA (which MTA)
f. Other ...............
3.4 Which protocols are supported for message submission:
a. SMTP
b. ESMTP
c. Co-location with specific MTA (which MTA)
d. Other ...............
3.5 Does the UA support the following basic functionalities:
- List messages
- Read messages
- Delete messages
- Compose new messages
- Reply to messages (Inclusion of original message-text in
reply, reply to originator or to any or all recipients
etc.)
- Forward message
o using MIME
o using RFC-934 encapsulation; i.e. message is
encapsulated in between: ------- Forwarded Message and
------- End of Forwarded Message
o Other .......
- Distribute message (the from field does not change)
3.6 Does the UA support the following header fields and can they
be supplied by the user:
Generated correctly Can be supplied by user
- To:
- Cc:
- Bcc:
- From:
- Reply-to:
- Subject:
- Comments:
3.7 Does the UA support filing mail into folders? Are there any
restrictions?
3.8 Does the UA support a filtering mechanism that allows the
user to configure automatic processing of incoming mail
(e.g. automatic filing into specific folders)? If so, how
simple is the configuration of these filters?
3.9 Does the UA support a sorting mechanism that allows the user
to sort mail on date and/or subject and/or from field etc?
If so describe the possibilities and restrictions.
3.10 Does the UA support address lists and/or directory services?
- Local (local address list, local aliases, local distribution lists etc.)
- Whois++
- Ph (to CCSO server)
- LDAP or SOLO or other access protocols to a directory
service
- Other .....
3.11 What other non-multimedia facilities does the UA support?
3.12 What secure mail protocols does the UA support (in-line):
- PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail)
- PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)
- Other.....
4. MIME support
4.1 Does the UA support:
- viewing a MIME content (either in-line or through launching
an external viewer)?
- saving a MIME content in a file?
- saving one part of a multipart message in a file?
- printing a MIME content?
4.2 Does the UA support receipt of the following basic MIME
content types? Does it display them in-line or does it use
an external viewer?
In-line External viewer
- text/plain
- text/enriched
- image/gif
- image/jpeg
- audio/basic
- video/mpeg
- application/octet-stream
- application/postscript
- message/rfc822
- message/partial
Does the UA support ftp and/or mail access for:
- message/external-body
Describe how the UA supports the basic multipart types:
- multipart/mixed
- multipart/parallel
- multipart/digest
- multipart/alternative
How does the UA handle:
- X-<bilateraly defined>
- unknown/unconfigured content-types
4.3 Does the UA allow configuration for receipt of additional
content-types? If so describe the configuration procedure
and possibilities. (Is it complex/easy, give example
configuration, can you add external viewers etc.). E.g.
- application/wordperfect5.1
- application/msword
4.4 Does the UAsupport composition of the following basic MIME
content types? Describe how easy/complex composition of a
message with a MIME content-type is.
- text/plain
- text/enriched
- image/gif
- image/jpeg
- audio/basic
- video/mpeg
- application/octet-stream
- application/postscript
- message/rfc822
- message/partial
- message/external-body
- multipart/mixed
- multipart/parallel
- multipart/digest
- multipart/alternative
Does the UA generate X-<bilaterally defined> content-types
(when and why)
4.5 Does the UA support compostion of additional content-types?
If so describe how to do this (configuration and/or
compostion), e.g.:
- application/wordperfect5.1
- application/msword
4.6 What content-encodings does the UA support:
- 7bit
- quoted printable
- base64
- binary
- 8bit
- X-<bilateraly defined> (when and why)
4.7 What encoding is used for the following content-types:
7bit QP B64 Binary 8-bit Other
- text/plain
- text/enriched
- image/gif
- image/jpeg
- audio/basic
- video/mpeg
- application/octet-stream
- application/postscript
- message/rfc822
- message/partial
- message/external-body
- multipart/mixed
- multipart/parallel
- multipart/digest
- multipart/alternative
4.8 Does the UA generate the correct Mime version header:
Mime-Version: 1.0
4.9 In multipart messages, give an example of the sort of
boundary string generated.
--------