on 9/20/2003 6:01 PM Dean Anderson wrote:
You are correct that SMTP is a peer to peer protocol, not a client
server protocol. However, there is a distinction between mail routing,
an MTA function, and mail submission, an MUA function.
The functions constitute the service, not the protocol. The protocol is
just one part of the service (mostly the transfer function), while things
like routing and submission are separate. Filesystem submission, nis/ldap
routing, ..., are also valid for the service at-large, while outside the
scope of the SMTP protocol.
Whenr the protocol is used for these functions, the functions are usually
folded to fit the demands of the protocol. If an implementation folds the
protocol to fit the function, then it's not the same protocol anymore.
--
Eric A. Hall http://www.ehsco.com/
Internet Core Protocols http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/coreprot/