Mail Server (MailSrv) is a tool you use to configure a computer running Windows NT Server to provide electronic mail service for intranet or Internet users. With MailSrv installed, you can send and receive mail by using a TCP/IP-based intranet or the Internet. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is the networking protocol supported by most computers on the Internet.)
MailSrv is based on the TCP/IP protocols described in Table 7.1.
Table 7.1 TCP/IP Mail Protocols in MailSrv
Protocol | RFC | Description | |||||||
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) | RFC 821 and RFC 822 | TCP/IP-based networks use SMTP to transfer mail reliably and efficiently. SMTP transports a mail message across TCP/IP-based networks to a destination SMTP server. | |||||||
Post Office Protocol version 2 and version 3 (POP2, POP3) | RFC 1460 | POP defines the standard for user mailboxes and the protocol for downloading mail messages to a user's local computer. This protocol is generally referred to with its version number (POP3, POP2) to avoid confusion with the telephony POP (Point of Presence) terminology. | |||||||
MIME and UUENCODE | RFC 1521 and RFC 1154 | MailSrv does not contain support for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) and UNIX-to-UNIX Encode (UUENCODE). However, MailSrv can send and receive messages containing MIME and UUENCODE attachments. | |||||||
MailSrv is based on a combination of the SMTP and POP3 protocols. It provides only the SMTP send-and-receive services and the POP3 user post office services that are required by the RFC specifications.
MailSrv is completely separate from the electronic messaging and groupware services of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Mail. Because MailSrv provides only the basic required SMTP and POP3 services, it can be used in small TCP/IP-based networks that cannot provide the resources required for advanced messaging and groupware services. A computer that runs the MailSrv tool under Windows NT Server can also be used with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Mail systems as a dedicated SMTP/POP3 server.