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Re: Recipient is offline

2011-09-03 13:35:33

Dave CROCKER wrote:


Here's the essential bit: Occasional connectivity fits into the Internet mail model only as a last-hop, receive-side issue. There must be an always-connected server working on behalf of the sometimes-connected receiver and holding mail for it. Hence, use of ODMR is a 'local' matter. Do not expect random, remote servers to participate.

The HUB!

[1]  http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=1098

DISCO was dead by this point! <g>


[2]  http://bbiw.net/recent.html#PostelCSNet

[3] It was interesting presenting the SMTP "working group" with the challenge of this operational style, since it was entirely foreign to the existing world of the Arpanet. Folks were not all that receptive to it until Vint Cerf, then at Arpa and always looking for ways to justify funding worthy projects, suddenly said "submarines!" At that point, everybody grok'd the operational model that leaves availability for delivery as a choice of the receiver.

Very interesting David. Fidonet had a Policy4 membership ZMH (Zone Mail Hour) requirement to allow routes via your hub and no humans were allowed to tie the line during ZMH.

   http://www.fidonet.us/policy4.html

I guess the 821 question I have is, Given Cerf's direction, I don't see any description or is hidden somewhere in 821 about connection errors and retries recommendations. Was that because not enough intelligence yet or you guys just had a "Card Blanc" with full time reliable connectivity (I suspect delays was par)?

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