ietf-smtp
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Re: would like some verification on 8BITMIME and RFC1652

1997-10-14 08:42:05
hey all.  was just trying to debug a problem with our site
connecting to MSN.COM.  Following RFC1652, the RFC on 8BITMIME
use in ESMTP, when we have a 7 bit message, we place
"BODY=7BIT" as the last parameter in the FROM LINE, such as:

MAIL FROM:<jack%wildbear(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca(_at_)msn(_dot_)com> SIZE=1169 
BODY=7BIT

Now, whenever we send mail to MSN.COM in that manner, it is
refused as an illegal command, even though it says it supports
ESMTP's 8BITMIME.  Furthermore, if the lines:

MAIL FROM:<jack%wildbear(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca(_at_)msn(_dot_)com> SIZE=1169 
BODY=8BITMIME

or

MAIL FROM:<jack%wildbear(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca(_at_)msn(_dot_)com> SIZE=1169

are used, the command is accepted with no problems.

Now, my understanding of RFC 1652 is that if you do support 8BITMIME,
you should be sending "BODY=7BIT".

I don't see anything like this in RFC1652. What I do see is an optional
MAIL FROM parameter called BODY, which can be used to indicate whether
or not a message is in 7bit form or 8bitMIME form. Nowhere do I see a
recommendation that the BODY=7bit version, which is the default, should
be used when sending a 7bit message. You can do it if you want to, but you're
not required to.

Could people verify this and let me know if msn.com should be able
to accept the "BODY=7BIT" tag or if is okay that it does not?

Different question, for which the answer is yes, they should be able
to handle your sending body=7bit. That they do not is a bug, plain and simple.

Unfortunately it is small beer compared to the inability to handle quoting
sequences in NOTARY MAIL FROM parameters, a bug present in some widely deployed
versions of MS Exchange.

                                Ned

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