docs/diploma

diff thesis/tex/3-MailTransferAgents.tex @ 392:b4611d4e1484

applied comments by henry atting
author meillo@marmaro.de
date Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:42:45 +0100
parents 16d8eacf60e1
children 6494832a798c
line diff
     1.1 --- a/thesis/tex/3-MailTransferAgents.tex	Fri Feb 06 21:09:21 2009 +0100
     1.2 +++ b/thesis/tex/3-MailTransferAgents.tex	Sat Feb 07 11:42:45 2009 +0100
     1.3 @@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
     1.4  
     1.5  Normally the term ``groupware'' does not mean one single program, but a suite of programs. They build a framework which is then populated with various modules that provide the actual functionality. Modules for mail transfer, file storage, calendars, resource management, Instant Messaging, and more, are commonly available.
     1.6  
     1.7 -These program suites are used if the main work to do is providing integrated communication facilities and team working support for a group of people. Mail transfer is only one part of the problem to solve. The most common scenario are companies. They use \name{groupware} to provide adequate services for their teams to work efficiently. But one may use \name{groupware} on the home server for the family members too.
     1.8 +These program suites are used if the main work to do is providing integrated communication facilities and team working support for a group of people. Mail transfer is only one part of the problem to solve. The most common scenario are companies. They use \name{groupware} to provide adequate services for their teams to work efficiently. But one may use \name{groupware} on the home server for the family members, too.
     1.9  
    1.10  Examples for groupware are: \name{Lotus Notes}, \name{Microsoft Exchange}, and \name{OpenGroupware.org}.
    1.11  
    1.12 @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
    1.13  
    1.14  \exim\ was started in 1995 by \person{Philip Hazel} at the \name{University of Cambridge}. It is a fork of \name{smail-3}, and inherited the monolithic architecture which is similar to \sendmail's. But having no architecture-given separation of the individual components of the system did not hurt. Its security is quite good \cite{blanco05}.
    1.15  
    1.16 -\exim\ is highly configurable, especially in the field of mail policies. This makes it easy to specify how mail is routed through the system and who is allowed to send email to whom. Interfaces to integrate spam and malware checkers are provided by design too.
    1.17 +\exim\ is highly configurable, especially in the field of mail policies. This makes it easy to specify how mail is routed through the system and who is allowed to send email to whom. Interfaces to integrate spam and malware checkers are provided by design, too.
    1.18  
    1.19  The program is Free Software, released under the \NAME{GPL}. The latest stable version is 4.69 from December 2007.
    1.20  \index{gpl}
    1.21 @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@
    1.22  
    1.23  \qmail\ is seen by its community as ``a modern \SMTP\ server which makes sendmail obsolete'' \citeweb{qmail:homepage2}. It was written by \person{Daniel~J.\ Bernstein}, starting in 1995. His primary goal was to create a secure \MTA\ to replace the popular, but vulnerable, \sendmail. His own words are: ``This is why I started writing qmail: I was sick of the security holes in sendmail and other \MTA{}s.'' \citeweb{qmail:homepage1}.
    1.24  
    1.25 -\qmail\ first introduced many innovative concepts in \MTA\ design. The most obvious contrast to \sendmail\ and \exim\ is its modular design. But \qmail\ was not the first modular \MTA. \NAME{MMDF}, which predates even \sendmail, was modular too. Regardless of \NAME{MMDF}'s modular architecture, \qmail\ is generally seen as the first security-aware \MTA\ \citeweb{wikipedia:qmail}.
    1.26 +\qmail\ first introduced many innovative concepts in \MTA\ design. The most obvious contrast to \sendmail\ and \exim\ is its modular design. But \qmail\ was not the first modular \MTA. \NAME{MMDF}, which predates even \sendmail, was modular, too. Regardless of \NAME{MMDF}'s modular architecture, \qmail\ is generally seen as the first security-aware \MTA\ \citeweb{wikipedia:qmail}.
    1.27  
    1.28  The latest release of \qmail\ is version 1.03 from July 1998. Afterwards, in November 2007, \qmail's source was put into the \name{public domain}. This made it Free Software.
    1.29  \index{public domain}
    1.30 @@ -239,7 +239,7 @@
    1.31  \subsubsection*{Architecture}
    1.32  \index{mta!architecture}
    1.33  
    1.34 -Architecture is most important when comparing \MTA{}s. Many other properties of a program depend on its architecture. \person{Munawar Hafiz} discusses in detail on \MTA\ architecture, comparing \sendmail, \qmail, \postfix, and \name{sendmail~X} \cite{hafiz05}. \person{Jonathan de Boyne Pollard}'s \MTA\ review \cite{jdebp} is a source too.
    1.35 +Architecture is most important when comparing \MTA{}s. Many other properties of a program depend on its architecture. \person{Munawar Hafiz} discusses in detail on \MTA\ architecture, comparing \sendmail, \qmail, \postfix, and \name{sendmail~X} \cite{hafiz05}. \person{Jonathan de Boyne Pollard}'s \MTA\ review \cite{jdebp} is a source, too.
    1.36  
    1.37  Two different architecture types show off: monolithic and modular \MTA{}s.
    1.38  
    1.39 @@ -278,7 +278,7 @@
    1.40  
    1.41  \paragraph{Security}
    1.42  \index{security}
    1.43 -The third trend (even more security awareness) is addressed by each of the four programs. It seems as if all widely used \MTA{}s provide good security nowadays. Even \sendmail\ can be configured to be secure today. However, the modular architecture, used by \qmail\ and \postfix, is generally seen to be conceptually more secure. \sendmail's creators have started \name{MeTA1}, a modular \MTA\ that merges the best of \qmail\ and \postfix, to replace the old \sendmail. It will be interesting to watch \exim's future---will it become modular too?
    1.44 +The third trend (even more security awareness) is addressed by each of the four programs. It seems as if all widely used \MTA{}s provide good security nowadays. Even \sendmail\ can be configured to be secure today. However, the modular architecture, used by \qmail\ and \postfix, is generally seen to be conceptually more secure. \sendmail's creators have started \name{MeTA1}, a modular \MTA\ that merges the best of \qmail\ and \postfix, to replace the old \sendmail. It will be interesting to watch \exim's future---will it become modular, too?
    1.45  
    1.46  
    1.47