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Re: Activation points and callout modes

2005-02-21 05:53:14

[Forwarded email from Alex, who currently has problems posting to the OPES list].

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Subject:
Re: Activation points and callout modes
From:
"Alex Rousskov" <rousskov(_at_)measurement-factory(_dot_)com>
Date:
Sun, 20 Feb 2005 22:48:01 -0700
To:
"Martin Stecher" <martin(_dot_)stecher(_at_)webwasher(_dot_)com>, 
ietf-openproxy(_at_)imc(_dot_)org

To:
"Martin Stecher" <martin(_dot_)stecher(_at_)webwasher(_dot_)com>, 
ietf-openproxy(_at_)imc(_dot_)org


On Fri, 2005/01/28 (MST), <martin(_dot_)stecher(_at_)webwasher(_dot_)com> wrote:

  1. Receiving email
     Do a SMTP dialog with the peer, receiving email from it,
     usually storing the emails in a queue and maybe sending on later
 2. Stored email in queue
     Operate on an email that has been received earlier. Their is
     no current SMTP dialog going on
 3. Sending email
     Do a SMTP dialog with a peer, sending email to it.
 4. Proxy (receive and forward)
     Having two SMTP dialogs at the same time. Mostly forwarding
     commands and replies; often no own email queue


FWIW, it looks to me that, *from OPES point of view*, 1 and 3 are essentially the same, and 4 is essentially a combination (or concurrent application) of 1 and 3. Number 2 is out of OPES/SMTP scope; it could be in some future OPES/MIME scope.

This makes the situation essentially equivalent to the one we have in OPES/HTTP: The difference between 1, 3, and possibly 4 can be accomodated by two or possibly three OCP profiles that share most of their properties.

In addition to that there are four modes

  A. SMTP command modification
     The command is modified by the callout server
 B. SMTP command satisfaction
     Callout server responds with a SMTP reply (usually an error
     message).
 C. SMTP reply modification
     The SMTP reply is modified by the callout server
 D. Email message body modification

Re C: SMTP reply modification seems to make sense for
    - reply logging (so no real modification)
    - At activation point 4, when commands and replies are proxied


I do not yet understand why SMTP reply modification is essential for AP#4 if it is not essential for other APs. Did I miss an example posted earlier (I did go through all the messages on the list)?

Re D: When part of OCP/SMTP (not OCP/MIME or alike) this can be
seen as command modification, i.e. it falls back to mode A.


Yes, at this level of abstraction there is no difference.

Alex.


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