Mercurial > emacs
changeset 49937:789514132de9
Add.
author | Simon Josefsson <jas@extundo.com> |
---|---|
date | Sun, 23 Feb 2003 16:44:44 +0000 |
parents | 71b14e933f12 |
children | f2da717b5ff1 |
files | man/smtpmail.texi |
diffstat | 1 files changed, 105 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-) [+] |
line wrap: on
line diff
--- a/man/smtpmail.texi Sun Feb 23 16:24:50 2003 +0000 +++ b/man/smtpmail.texi Sun Feb 23 16:44:44 2003 +0000 @@ -34,21 +34,98 @@ @titlepage @title{Emacs SMTP Library} @subtitle{An Emacs package for sending mail via SMTP} -@author{Simon Josefsson} +@author{Simon Josefsson, Alex Schroeder} +@page +@vskip 0pt plus 1filll +@insertcopying @end titlepage +@contents + +@ifnottex @node Top -@chapter Sending mail via SMTP +@top Emacs SMTP Library + +@insertcopying +@end ifnottex + +@menu +* How Mail Works:: Brief introduction to mail concepts. +* Emacs Speaks SMTP:: How to use the SMTP library in Emacs. +* 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. + +Indices + +* Index:: Index over variables and functions. +@end menu + +@node How Mail Works +@chapter How Mail Works + @cindex SMTP +@cindex MTA + On the Internet, mail is sent from mail host to mail host using the +simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP). To send and receive mail, you +must get it from and send it to a mail host. Every mail host runs a +mail transger agent (MTA) such as Exim that accepts mails and passes +them on. The communication between a mail host and other clients does +not necessarily involve SMTP, however. Here is short overview of what +is involved. + +@cindex MUA + The mail program --- also called a mail user agent (MUA) --- +usually sends outgoing mail to a mail host. When your computer is +permanently connected to the internet, it might even be a mail host +itself. In this case, the MUA will pipe mail to the +@file{/usr/lib/sendmail} application. It will take care of your mail +and pass it on to the next mail host. - 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. +@cindex ISP + When you are only connected to the internet from time to time, your +internet service provider (ISP) has probably told you which mail host +to use. You must configure your MUA to use that mail host. Since you +are reading this manual, you probably want to configure Emacs to use +SMTP to send mail to that mail host. More on that in the next +section. + +@cindex MDA + Things are different when reading mail. The mail host responsible +for your mail keeps it in a file somewhere. The messages get into the +file by way of a mail delivery agent (MDA) such as procmail. These +delivery agents often allow you to filter and munge your mails before +you get to see it. When your computer is that mail host, this file is +called a spool, and sometimes located in the directory +/var/spool/mail/. All your MUA has to do is read mail from the spool, +then. + +@cindex POP3 +@cindex IMAP + When your computer is not always connected to the Internet, you +must get the mail from the remote mail host using a protocol such as +POP3 or IMAP. POP3 essentially downloads all your mail from the mail +host to your computer. The mail is stored in some file on your +computer, and again, all your MUA has to do is read mail from the +spool. + + When you read mail from various machines, downloading mail from the +mail host to your current machine is not convenient. In that case, +you will probably want to use the IMAP protocol. Your mail is kept on +the mail host, and you can read it while you are connected via IMAP to +the mail host. + +@cindex Webmail + So how does reading mail via the web work, you ask. In that case, +the web interface just allows you to remote-control a MUA on the web +host. Whether the web host is also a mail host, and how all the +pieces interact is completely irrelevant. You usually cannot use +Emacs to read mail via the web, unless you use software that parses +the ever-changing HTML of the web interface. + +@node Emacs Speaks SMTP +@chapter Emacs Speaks 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 @@ -126,17 +203,14 @@ (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 +@chapter Authentication -@node Authentication -@section Authentication - +@cindex SASL +@cindex CRAM-MD5 +@cindex PLAIN +@cindex LOGIN +@cindex STARTTLS 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. @@ -198,8 +272,9 @@ @end example @node Queued delivery -@section Queued delivery +@chapter Queued delivery +@cindex Dialup connection 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 @@ -233,7 +308,7 @@ @node Server workarounds -@section Server workarounds +@chapter Server workarounds Some SMTP servers have special requirements. The following variables implement support for common requirements. @@ -272,7 +347,7 @@ @node Debugging -@section Debugging +@chapter Debugging Sometimes delivery fails, often with the generic error message @samp{Sending failed; SMTP protocol error}. Enabling one or both of @@ -302,7 +377,14 @@ @end table @node Index +@chapter Index + +@section Concept Index + +@printindex cp + @section Function and Variable Index + @printindex fn @contents