MORE INFORMATION
The example shown below shows a typical file transfer of a single
piece of mail from postoffice P: COMPANY/CORPORATE to Q: COMPANY/MAIL.
First, External checks the postoffices for updates to user/group
lists. These lists include all the new user lists and definitions that
are defined in the postoffices through the Mail Administrator program
(ADMIN.EXE).
Example
A user has composed a message on postoffice COMPANY/CORPORATE and has
addressed the message to a user on COMPANY/MAIL. The message is
written into the database for COMPANY/CORPORATE in the KEY, MBG, and
MAI subdirectories. If an attachment is included, a file will be
written to an ATT subdirectory.
External then checks for any outgoing mail by opening and closing
every external postoffice's KEY file. Flags within the files indicate
if any mail is required to be sent.
In this example, one mail item is going to be sent from CORPORATE to
MAIL. First, External reads the .KEY, .MBG, and .MAI files on P:
COMPANY/CORPORATE. The filename in the example is 00000116.MAI.
The delivery by the External program is a two-part process called
Dispatch and Mailer. The Dispatch program delivers the mail between the
postoffices and the Mailer program processes the mail and places
messages into recipients' mailbags.
Dispatch
NOTE: SESSION.LOG entries have been indented for reference.
The External program first reads the P2 file (00000116.MAI) from the
CORPORATE postoffice and writes it to the MAIL postoffice
(N:MAI\MA8\00000278.MAI).
06-01-93 09:58 Transferring mail: mail file is: M:MAI\MA6\00000116.MAI.
06-01-93 09:58 Sending P2...
06-01-93 09:58 Target file: N:MAI\MA8\00000278.MAI
The Dispatch program then writes to the P1 subdirectory the envelope
of the mail message. The envelope contains a list of all the people to
whom the mail message must be delivered. This includes the To field
and the Cc field.
06-01-93 09:59 Sending P1...
06-01-93 09:59 Target file: N:P1\00000278.P1
The External program then writes to the INQUEUE3.KEY and INQUEUE3.MBG
files the name of the file in the P1 subdirectory that contains the
recipients of the mail.
This concludes the delivery of the mail.
06-01-93 09:59 P1 file successfully sent.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
Mailer
The Mailer program reads the INQUEUE3 files in the KEY and MBG
subdirectory. The MBG queue contains the reference pointer (P1
subdirectory filename). The Mailer program then reads the references
contained in the file in the P1 subdirectory and writes to each
recipient's KEY file and MBG file a pointer to the mail item contained
in the MAI subdirectory.
06-01-93 09:59 Processing received mail queue at: N: NETWORK/MAIL.
06-01-93 09:59 INQUEUE file: N:MAI\MA8\00000278.MAI
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering of mail from INQUEUE3 is complete.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
NOTE: A mail item that is sent to numerous people will contain a
reference pointer for each person who is to receive the mail item;
however, there will only be ONE .MAI file.
06-01-93 09:58 Sending mail (1)
06-01-93 09:58 From: NETWORK/CORPORATE
06-01-93 09:58 To: NETWORK/MAIL
06-01-93 09:58 Transferring mail: mail file is: M:MAI\MA6\00000116.MAI.
06-01-93 09:58 Sending P2...
06-01-93 09:58 Target file: N:MAI\MA8\00000278.MAI
06-01-93 09:59 Sending P1...
06-01-93 09:59 Target file: N:P1\00000278.P1
06-01-93 09:59 P1 file successfully sent.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
06-01-93 09:59 Processing received mail queue at: N: NETWORK/MAIL.
06-01-93 09:59 INQUEUE file: N:MAI\MA8\00000278.MAI
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering of mail from INQUEUE3 is complete.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
06-01-93 09:59 N: NETWORK/MAIL: Checking for dispatch mail...
06-01-93 09:59 No mail.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/CORPORATE.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/CORPORATE.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
06-01-93 09:59 Delivering new mail to NETWORK/MAIL.
Glossary
Term Description
---- -----------
ATT Attachments subdirectory and attachments files.
Referenced by a pointer within the message contents
(.MAI file).
Contents Contents of the message include the items such as the
date, time, subject, priority, attachments, and the
message itself. Another name for the .MAI file. In
visual terms, this equates to selecting a message from
the Inbox and reading its contents.
Envelope: See P1.
MAI See CONTENTS.
MBG, KEY Combined, these two files are used to provide a list of
Inbox items that point to the mail message. This
equates to looking at the Inbox in the Mail program.
P2 Another name for the .MAI file; also known as the
contents of the message. This equates to the actual
message that was composed.
P1 An acronym for the addressing or the envelope of the
message. The envelope contains all the To and Cc
addresses the mail items are supposed to go to.