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/