There is an update to RFC 2821 (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, aka SMTP)
about to become available from the secretariat in an internet-drafts
repository near you. It will be discussed on the ietf-smtp(_at_)imc(_dot_)org
mailing list.
Here are the guidelines to follow for comments on it:
We want to advance RFC2821/SMTP to Draft Standard. Thus, we don't want
to design anything "new" or "better" for SMTP as part of this particular
effort, which would require recycling at Proposed Standard -- in fact,
we want to be conservative in minimizing changes. As with any movement
from DS to PS, changes should be limited to:
1) clarifications of the spec where there are discrepancies, and
2) removal of unused features.
3) The fixing of "bugs" should be limited to those that have a
*very strong* consensus.
*Do not* bother raising the issue of reorganizing the document once
again, and/or breaking it up into separate pieces. Such emails will be
summarily ignored.
*Do not* ask us to reopen the NDN question (whether it is reasonable to
accept a message and then send a message-type rejection, and prohibit
that behavior "unless the sender can be guaranteed to be authentic").
While quite a worthy topic, this question will not be addressed in
2821bis. >>>Instead<<<, write an internet-draft that is an *UPDATE* to
2821/2821bis, and we will be happy to review such an I-D on the
ietf-smtp(_at_)imc(_dot_)org mailing list.
Your pseudo-chair for this effort,
Tony Hansen
tony(_at_)att(_dot_)com