I-D ACTION:draft-gellens-submit-03.txt

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 A Revised Internet-Draft is available from the on-line Internet-Drafts 
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       Title     : Message Submission and Relay                            
       Author(s) : H. Alvestrand, R. Gellens
       Filename  : draft-gellens-submit-03.txt
       Pages     : 10
       Date      : 03/24/1997

SMTP was defined as a message *relay* protocol, that is, a means for 
message transfer agents (MTAs) to route finished (complete) messages.  
SMTP forbids MTAs from altering the message text, except to 
add 'Received' header fields.    

However, SMTP is now also widely used as a message *submission* protocol, 
that is, a means for message user agents (MUAs) to introduce new messages 
into the MTA routing network.  Regardless of whether
this is good or bad, it is far too late to change.   

Messages being submitted are in some cases finished (complete) messages, 
and in other cases are unfinished (incomplete) in some aspect or other.  
Unfinished messages need to be completed to ensure they conform to 
[RFC-822], [RFC-1123], and later requirements.  For example, the message
may lack proper Date or Message-ID headers, and domains might not be fully 
qualified.  In some cases, the MUA may be unable to generate finished 
(complete) messages (for example, it might not know its time zone).  Even 
when submitted messages are finished (complete), local site policy may 
dictate that the message text be modified in some ways. Such completions or
modifications violate the letter and spirit of SMTP when used              
as a relay protocol.

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ftp://ds.internic.net/internet-drafts/draft-gellens-submit-03.txt"><ftp://ds.internic.net/internet-drafts/draft-gellens-submit-03.txt>