Mercurial > emacs
diff man/smtpmail.texi @ 49924:99fd2891ce11
Manual for smtpmail.el.
author | Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com> |
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date | Sun, 23 Feb 2003 12:09:45 +0000 |
parents | |
children | 789514132de9 |
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--- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/man/smtpmail.texi Sun Feb 23 12:09:45 2003 +0000 @@ -0,0 +1,309 @@ +\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- +@setfilename ../info/smtpmail +@settitle Emacs SMTP Library +@syncodeindex vr fn +@copying +Copyright @copyright{} 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +@quotation +Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document +under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the +Invariant Sections being ``The GNU Manifesto'', ``Distribution'' and +``GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE'', with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU +Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the +license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation +License'' in the Emacs manual. + +(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify +this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free +Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.'' + +This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free +Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document +separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the +license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license. +@end quotation +@end copying + +@dircategory Emacs +@direntry +* Emacs SMTP Library: (smtpmail). Emacs library for sending mail via SMTP. +@end direntry + +@titlepage +@title{Emacs SMTP Library} +@subtitle{An Emacs package for sending mail via SMTP} +@author{Simon Josefsson} +@end titlepage + +@node Top +@chapter Sending mail via SMTP +@cindex SMTP + + On the Internet, mail is sent from host to host using the simple +mail transfer protocol (SMTP). When you read and write mail you are +using a mail program that does not use SMTP --- it just reads mails +from files. This is called a mail user agent (MUA). The mail +transfer agent (MTA) is the program that accepts mails via SMTP and +stores them in files. You also need a mail transfer agent when you +send mails. Your mail program has to send its mail to a MTA that can +pass it on using SMTP. + + Emacs includes a package for sending your mail to a SMTP server and +have it take care of delivering it to the final destination, rather +than letting the MTA on your local system take care of it. This can +be useful if you don't have a MTA set up on your host, or if your +machine is often disconnected from the Internet. + + Sending mail via SMTP requires configuring your mail user agent +(@pxref{Mail Methods,,,emacs}) to use the SMTP library. How to do +this should be described for each mail user agent; for the default +mail user agent the variable @code{send-mail-function} (@pxref{Mail +Sending,,,emacs}) is used; for the Message and Gnus user agents the +variable @code{message-send-mail-function} (@pxref{Mail +Variables,,,message}) is used. + +@example +;; If you use the default mail user agent. +(setq send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it) +;; If you use Message or Gnus. +(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it) +@end example + + Before using SMTP you must find out the hostname of the SMTP server +to use. Your system administrator should provide you with this +information, but often it is the same as the server you receive mail +from. + +@table @code +@item smtpmail-smtp-server +@vindex smtpmail-smtp-server +@vindex SMTPSERVER + The variable @code{smtpmail-smtp-server} controls the hostname of +the server to use. It is a string with an IP address or hostname. It +defaults to the contents of the @code{SMTPSERVER} environment +variable, or, if empty, the contents of +@code{smtpmail-default-smtp-server}. + +@item smtpmail-default-smtp-server +@vindex smtpmail-default-smtp-server + The variable @code{smtpmail-default-smtp-server} controls the +default hostname of the server to use. It is a string with an IP +address or hostname. It must be set before the SMTP library is +loaded. It has no effect if set after the SMTP library has been +loaded, or if @code{smtpmail-smtp-server} is defined. It is usually +set by system administrators in a site wide initialization file. +@end table + +The following example illustrates what you could put in +@file{~/.emacs} to set the SMTP server name. + +@example +;; Send mail using SMTP via mail.example.org. +(setq smtpmail-smtp-server "mail.example.org") +@end example + +@cindex Mail Submission +SMTP is normally used on the registered ``smtp'' TCP service port 25. +Some environments use SMTP in ``Mail Submission'' mode, which uses +port 587. Using other ports is not uncommon, either for security by +obscurity purposes, port forwarding, or otherwise. + +@table @code +@item smtpmail-smtp-service +@vindex smtpmail-smtp-service + The variable @code{smtpmail-smtp-service} controls the port on the +server to contact. It is either a string, in which case it will be +translated into an integer using system calls, or an integer. +@end table + +The following example illustrates what you could put in +@file{~/.emacs} to set the SMTP service port. + +@example +;; Send mail using SMTP on the mail submission port 587. +(setq smtpmail-smtp-service 587) +@end example + +@menu +* Authentication:: Authenticating yourself to the server. +* Queued delivery:: Sending mail without an Internet connection. +* Server workarounds:: Mail servers with special requirements. +* Debugging:: Tracking down problems. +* Index:: Index over variables and functions. +@end menu + +@node Authentication +@section Authentication + +Many environments require SMTP clients to authenticate themselves +before they are allowed to route mail via a server. The two following +variables contains the authentication information needed for this. +The first variable, @code{smtpmail-auth-credentials}, instructs the +SMTP library to use a SASL authentication step, currently only the +CRAM-MD5, PLAIN and LOGIN-MD5 mechanisms are supported and will be +selected in that order if the server supports them. The second +variable, @code{smtpmail-starttls-credentials}, instructs the SMTP +library to connect to the server using STARTTLS. This means the +protocol exchange can be integrity protected and confidential by using +TLS, and optionally also authentication of the client. It is common +to use both these mechanisms, e.g., to use STARTTLS to achieve +integrity and confidentiality and then use SASL for client +authentication. + +@table @code +@item smtpmail-auth-credentials +@vindex smtpmail-auth-credentials + The variable @code{smtpmail-auth-credentials} contains a list of +hostname, port, username and password tuples. When the SMTP library +connects to a host on a certain port, this variable is searched to +find a matching entry for that hostname and port. If an entry is +found, the authentication process is invoked and the credentials are +used. The hostname field follows the same format as +@code{smtpmail-smtp-server} (i.e., a string) and the port field the +same format as @code{smtpmail-smtp-service} (i.e., a string or an +integer). The username and password fields, which either can be +@samp{nil} to indicate that the user is queried for the value +interactively, should be strings with the username and password, +respectively, information that is normally provided by system +administrators. + +@item smtpmail-starttls-credentials +@vindex smtpmail-starttls-credentials + The variable @code{smtpmail-starttls-credentials} contains a list of +tuples with hostname, port, name of file containing client key, and +name of file containing client certificate. The processing is similar +to the previous variable. The client key and certificate may be +@samp{nil} if you do not wish to use client authentication. The use +of this variable requires the @samp{starttls} external program to be +installed, you can get @file{starttls-*.tar.gz} from +@uref{ftp://ftp.opaopa.org/pub/elisp/}. +@end table + +The following example illustrates what you could put in +@file{~/.emacs} to enable both SASL authentication and STARTTLS. The +server name (@code{smtpmail-smtp-server}) is @var{hostname}, the +server port (@code{smtpmail-smtp-service}) is @var{port}, and the +username and password are @var{username} and "@var{password} +respectively. + +@example +;; Authenticate using this username and password against my server. +(setq smtpmail-auth-credentials + '(("@var{hostname}" "@var{port}" "@var{username}" "@var{password}"))) +;; Use STARTTLS without authentication against the server. +(setq smtpmail-starttls-credentials + '(("@var{hostname}" "@var{port}" nil nil))) +@end example + +@node Queued delivery +@section Queued delivery + +If you connect to the Internet via a dialup connection, or for some +other reason doesn't have permanent Internet connection, sending mail +will fail when you are not connected. The SMTP library implements +queued delivery, and the following variable control its behaviour. + +@table @code + +@item smtpmail-queue-mail +@vindex smtpmail-queue-mail + The variable @code{smtpmail-queue-mail} controls whether a simple +off line mail sender is active. This variable is a boolean, and +defaults to @samp{nil} (disabled). If this is non-nil, mail is not +sent immediately but rather queued in the directory +@code{smtpmail-queue-dir} and can be later sent manually by invoking +@code{smtpmail-send-queued-mail} (typically when you connect to the +Internet). + +@item smtpmail-queue-mail +@vindex smtpmail-queue-dir + The variable @code{smtpmail-queue-dir} specifies the name of the +directory to hold queued messages. It defaults to +@file{~/Mail/queued-mail/}. + +@findex smtpmail-send-queued-mail + The function @code{smtpmail-send-queued-mail} can be used to send +any queued mail when @code{smtpmail-queue-mail} is enabled. It is +typically invoked interactively with @kbd{M-x RET +smtpmail-send-queued-mail RET} when you are connected to the Internet. + +@end table + + +@node Server workarounds +@section Server workarounds + +Some SMTP servers have special requirements. The following variables +implement support for common requirements. + +@table @code + +@item smtpmail-local-domain +@vindex smtpmail-local-domain + The variable @code{smtpmail-local-domain} controls the hostname sent +in the first @code{EHLO} or @code{HELO} command sent to the server. +It should only be set if the @code{system-name} function returns a +name that isn't accepted by the server. Do not set this variable +unless your server complains. + +@item smtpmail-sendto-domain +@vindex smtpmail-sendto-domain + The variable @code{smtpmail-sendto-domain} makes the SMTP library +add @samp{@@} and the specified value to recipients specified in the +message when they are sent using the @code{RCPT TO} command. Some +configurations of sendmail requires this behaviour. Don't bother to +set this unless you have get an error like: + +@example + Sending failed; SMTP protocol error +@end example + +when sending mail, and the debug buffer (@pxref{Debugging})) contains +an error such as: + +@example + RCPT TO: @var{someone} + 501 @var{someone}: recipient address must contain a domain +@end example + +@end table + + +@node Debugging +@section Debugging + +Sometimes delivery fails, often with the generic error message +@samp{Sending failed; SMTP protocol error}. Enabling one or both of +the following variables and inspecting a trace buffer will often give +clues to the reason for the error. + +@table @code + +@item smtpmail-debug-info +@vindex smtpmail-debug-info + The variable @code{smtpmail-debug-info} controls whether to print +the SMTP protocol exchange in the minibuffer, and retain the entire +exchange in a buffer @samp{*trace of SMTP session to @var{server}*}, +where @var{server} is the name of the mail server to which you send +mail. + +@item smtpmail-debug-verb +@vindex smtpmail-debug-verb + The variable @code{smtpmail-debug-verb} controls whether to send the +@code{VERB} token to the server. The @code{VERB} server instructs the +server to be more verbose, and often also to attempt final delivery +while your SMTP session is still running. It is usually only useful +together with @code{smtpmail-debug-info}. Note that this may cause +mail delivery to take considerable time if the final destination +cannot accept mail. + +@end table + +@node Index +@section Function and Variable Index +@printindex fn + +@contents +@bye