docs/diploma

diff thesis/tex/4-MasqmailsFuture.tex @ 132:a83a29e10b10

new books
author meillo@marmaro.de
date Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:48:41 +0100
parents 5a122d28f1ca
children 653ff21b89be
line diff
     1.1 --- a/thesis/tex/4-MasqmailsFuture.tex	Wed Dec 10 08:32:12 2008 +0100
     1.2 +++ b/thesis/tex/4-MasqmailsFuture.tex	Wed Dec 10 16:48:41 2008 +0100
     1.3 @@ -1,29 +1,9 @@
     1.4  \chapter{\masqmail's present and future}
     1.5  
     1.6 -<<  plans to get masqmail more popular again (if that is the goal) >> %FIXME
     1.7 -
     1.8 -architecture:
     1.9 -(ssl) -> msg-in (local or remote protocol handlers) -> spam-filter (and more) -> queue -> msg-out (local-delivery by MDA, or remote-protocol-handlers) -> (ssl)
    1.10 -
    1.11 -
    1.12 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/50917.html %how not to design an mta - the sendmail command
    1.13 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/51349.html %how not to design an mta - partitioning for security
    1.14 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/61132.html %how not to design an mta - local delivery
    1.15 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/64941.html %how not to design an mta - spool file format
    1.16 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/65203.html %how not to design an mta - spool file logistics
    1.17 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/65911.html %how not to design an mta -   more about log-structured MTA queues
    1.18 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/67297.html %how not to design an mta -   more log-structured MTA queues
    1.19 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/70432.html %how not to design an mta - address verification
    1.20 -http://fanf.livejournal.com/72258.html %how not to design an mta - content scanning
    1.21 -
    1.22 -
    1.23 -
    1.24 -<<  concrete decisions based on results of the last 2 chapters >> %FIXME
    1.25 -
    1.26  \section{Existing features}
    1.27  This overview regards \masqmail\ version 0.2.21, the state this document starts off.
    1.28  
    1.29 -First of all \masqmail\ is an \MTA. Therefor it accepts mail on the command line and via \SMTP. Mail queueing and alias expansion is supported. \masqmail\ is able to deliver mail to local mailboxes (in \name{mbox} or \name{maildir} format) or pass it to a \name{mail delivery agent} (like \name{procmail}). Mail destinated to remote locations is sent via \SMTP. Outgoing \SMTP\ connections feature \name{SMTP-Auth} and \name{SMTP-after-POP} authentication, but incoming \SMTP\ does not.
    1.30 +\masqmail\ is an \MTA, therefor it accepts mail on the command line and via \SMTP. Mail queueing and alias expansion is supported. \masqmail\ is able to deliver mail to local mailboxes (in \name{mbox} or \name{maildir} format) or pass it to a \name{mail delivery agent} (like \name{procmail}). Mail destinated to remote locations is sent via \SMTP. Outgoing \SMTP\ connections feature \name{SMTP-Auth} and \name{SMTP-after-POP} authentication, but incoming \SMTP\ does not.
    1.31  
    1.32  As \masqmail\ is focused on non-permanent Internet connections, online state can be queried by three methods: reading from a file, reading the output of a command, or by asking an \name{mserver}. Each method may return a string indicating one of the available routes being online, or returning nothing to indicate offline state.
    1.33  
    1.34 @@ -32,7 +12,6 @@
    1.35  Additional to the \mta\ job, \masqmail\ also offers mail retrieval services with being a \NAME{POP3} client. Thus it can fetch mail from remote locations, dependent on the active online route.
    1.36  
    1.37  
    1.38 -\subsubsection*{masqmail stuff}
    1.39  
    1.40  The \masqmail\ executable can be called under various names for \name{sendmail-compatibility} reasons. This is commonly organized by creating symbolic links with with different names to the \masqmail\ executable. These are \path{/usr/lib/sendmail} and \path{/usr/sbin/sendmail} because many programs expect a \mta\ to be located there. Further more \sendmail\ provides shortcuts by calling it with a different name instead of supplying command line arguments. The best known of it is \path{mailq}, which is equivilent to calling the \MTA\ with the argument \verb+-bq+. \masqmail\ reacts to the names \path{mailq}, \path{smtpd}, \path{mailrm}, \path{runq}, \path{rmail}, and \path{in.smtpd}. The last four are an addition to \sendmail. Not implemented is the name \path{newaliases} because it is not relevant to \masqmail. To provide the command nonetheless, one may write a shell script located at \path{/usr/bin/newaliases}, that simply invokes \verb+masqmail -bi+.
    1.41  
    1.42 @@ -48,6 +27,63 @@
    1.43  \masqmail\ does not provide an interface for modules with additional functionality. There exists no add-on or module system. But the code is separated by function to the various source files, and some functional parts can be included or excluded by defining symbols. This means adding some argument (like \verb+--enable-maildir+) to the \verb+configure+ call. Thus the concerning code gets not removed by the preprocessor.
    1.44  
    1.45  
    1.46 +
    1.47 +
    1.48 +
    1.49 +\section{Discussion/Ideas}
    1.50 +
    1.51 +
    1.52 +<<  plans to get masqmail more popular again (if that is the goal) >> %FIXME
    1.53 +
    1.54 +
    1.55 +\subsection{Architecture}
    1.56 +
    1.57 +<< architecture diagram >>
    1.58 +
    1.59 +(ssl) -> msg-in (local or remote protocol handlers) -> spam-filter (and more) -> queue -> msg-out (local-delivery by MDA, or remote-protocol-handlers) -> (ssl)
    1.60 +
    1.61 +A design from scratch?
    1.62 +
    1.63 +<< what would be needed (effort) >> %FIXME
    1.64 +
    1.65 +<< would one create it at all? >> %FIXME
    1.66 +
    1.67 +<< should it be done? >> %FIXME
    1.68 +
    1.69 +
    1.70 +
    1.71 +\subsection{local mail delivery}
    1.72 +But for example delivery of mail to local users is \emph{not} what \mta{}s should care about, although most \MTA\ are able to deliver mail, and many do. (\name{mail delivery agents}, like \name{procmail} and \name{maildrop}, are the right programs for this job.)
    1.73 +
    1.74 +
    1.75 +
    1.76 +\subsection{various protocols}
    1.77 +protocols like \NAME{SMTP} and \NAME{UUCP}, between which mail is transferred.\footnote{\sendmail{}'s initial purpose was moving mail between \NAME{UUCP}, \NAME{SMTP}, and \name{Berknet}.}
    1.78 +
    1.79 +
    1.80 +
    1.81 +
    1.82 +
    1.83 +
    1.84 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/50917.html %how not to design an mta - the sendmail command
    1.85 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/51349.html %how not to design an mta - partitioning for security
    1.86 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/61132.html %how not to design an mta - local delivery
    1.87 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/64941.html %how not to design an mta - spool file format
    1.88 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/65203.html %how not to design an mta - spool file logistics
    1.89 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/65911.html %how not to design an mta -   more about log-structured MTA queues
    1.90 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/67297.html %how not to design an mta -   more log-structured MTA queues
    1.91 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/70432.html %how not to design an mta - address verification
    1.92 +http://fanf.livejournal.com/72258.html %how not to design an mta - content scanning
    1.93 +
    1.94 +
    1.95 +
    1.96 +<<  concrete decisions based on results of the last 2 chapters >> %FIXME
    1.97 +
    1.98 +
    1.99 +
   1.100 +
   1.101 +
   1.102 +
   1.103  \section{Directions to go}
   1.104  
   1.105  \subsection{\masqmail\ in five years}
   1.106 @@ -67,13 +103,7 @@
   1.107  << why is it worth to revive masqmail? >> %FIXME
   1.108  
   1.109  
   1.110 -\subsection{A design from scratch}
   1.111  
   1.112 -<< what would be needed (effort) >> %FIXME
   1.113 -
   1.114 -<< would one create it at all? >> %FIXME
   1.115 -
   1.116 -<< should it be done? >> %FIXME
   1.117  
   1.118  
   1.119