Yakov wrote:
So what comes out from this, is that SMTP operates on a hop-by-hop
basis, which in many cases is end-to-end since there is only a single
hop to be done.
Now the question is, what can we, as a RG, learn from this? How is this
behavior helpful to stopping spam? What comparisons can we draw from
this behavior to other protocols?
We learn that the system involves at least 1 intermediate between MUAs and
MUAr, works asynchonously, in a store-and-forward kinda way. These
intermediate agents act (for the most part) to support the intention of the
message originator.
Intermediates try to provide resources to satisfy the originator, while
being paid-for by the recipient (often).
Other systems may consider the *message* (the data made available) as being
a significant resource - we consider the significant resources as being:
1. the *attention* of the recipient
2. transport and storage requirements
Following this reasoning, we can consider the MTS as a system for giving
the sender access to (human) recipient *attention* - For making recipient
resources available to the sender. The messages it transports are just part
of the mechanism for brokering attention.
SMTP is, from this viewpoint, much more like a form of RPC than anything
else I can think of - but asynchronous, which will allow the sender to
overwhelm the recipient. Clearly, what's weak is the access control (and
flow control).
Recipient resources should be available only subject to recipient policy.
That's as far as we need go with this. We can see that we need mechanisms
for expressing and enforcing recipient policy in our MTS.
--
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