rfc743.txt

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NWG/RFC# 743                                  KLH 30-Dec-77 08:39  42759
Network Working Group                                     K. Harrenstien
Request for Comments: 743                                         SRI-KL
NIC: 42758                                              30 December 1977



                        FTP extension: XRSQ/XRCP




This RFC describes an extension to FTP which allows the user of an ITS
FTP server (i.e. on MIT-(AI/ML/MC/DMS)) to mail the text of a message to
several recipients simultaneously; such message transmission is far more
efficient than the current practice of sending the text again and again
for each additional recipient at a site.

Within this extension, there are two basic ways of sending a single text
to several recipients.  In one, all recipients are specified first, and
then the text is sent; in the other, the order is reversed and the text
is sent first, followed by the recipients.  Both schemes are necessary
becaue neither by itself is optimal for all systems, as will be
explained later.  To select a particular scheme, the XRSQ command is
used; to specify recipients after a scheme is chosen, XRCP commands are
given; and to furnish text, the usual MAIL or MLFL commands apply.

Scheme Selection: XRSQ

   XRSQ is the means by which a user program can test for implementation
   of XRSQ/XRCP, select a particular scheme, reset its state thereof,
   and even do some rudimentary negotiation.  Its format is like that of
   the TYPE command, as follows:

      XRSQ [<SP> <scheme>] <CRLF>

      <scheme> = a single character.  The following are defined:
         R  Recipients first.  If not implemented, T must be.
         T  Text first.  If this is not implemented, R must be.
         ?  Request for preference.  Must always be implemented.

         No argument means a "selection" of none of the schemes (the
         default).

      Replies:
         200 OK, we'll use specified scheme.
         215 <scheme> This is the scheme I prefer.
         501 I understand XRSQ but can't use that scheme.
         5xx Command unrecognized or unimplemented.
         See Appendix A for more about the choice of reply codes.

   Three aspects of XRSQ need to be pointed out here.  The first is that





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An Extension to FTP



   an XRSQ with no argument must always return a 200 reply and restore
   the default state of having no scheme selected.  Any other reply
   implies that XRSQ and hence XRCP are not understood or cannot be
   performed correctly.

   The second is that the use of "?" as a <scheme> asks the FTP server
   to return a 215 reply in which the server specifies a "preferred"
   scheme.  The format of this reply is simple:

      215 <SP> <scheme> [<SP> <arbitrary text>] <CRLF>

      Any other reply (e.g. 4xx or 5xx) implies that XRSQ and XRCP are
      not implemented, because "?" must always be implemented if XRSQ
      is.

   The third important thing about XRSQ is that it always has the side
   effect of resetting all schemes to their initial state.  This reset
   must be done no matter what the reply will be - 200, 215, or 501.
   The actions necessary for a reset will be explained when discussing
   how each scheme actually works.

Message Text Specification: MAIL/MLFL

   Regardless of which scheme (if any) has been selected, a MAIL or MLFL
   with a non-null argument will behave exactly as before; this
   extension has no effect on them.  However, such normal MAIL/MLFL
   commands do have the same side effect as XRSQ; they "reset" the
   current scheme to its initial state.

   It is only when the argument is null (e.g. MAIL<CRLF> or MLFL<CRLF>)
   that the particular scheme being used is important, because rather
   than producing an error (as most servers currently do), the server
   will accept message text for this "null" specification; what it does
   with it depends on which scheme is in effect, and will be described
   in "Scheme Mechanics".

Recipient specification: XRCP

   In order to specify recipient names and receive some acknowledgement
   (or refusal) for each name, the following new command is also
   defined:

      XRCP <SP> <Recipient name> <CRLF>

      Reply for no scheme:
         507 No scheme specified yet; use XRSQ.
      Replies for scheme T are identical to those for MAIL/MLFL.





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An Extension to FTP



      Replies for scheme R (recipients first):
         200 OK, name stored.
         440 Recipient table full, this name not stored.
         450 Recipient name rejected. (Permanent!)
         520 Recipient name rejected.
         4xx Temporary error, try this name again later.
         5xx Permanent error, report to sender.
         See Appendix A for more about the choice of reply codes.

   Note that use of this command is an error if no scheme has been
   selected yet; an XRSQ <scheme> must have been given if XRCP is to be
   used.

Scheme mechanics: XRSQ R (Recipients first)

   In the recipients-first scheme, XRCP is used to specify names which
   the FTP server stores in a list or table.  Normally the reply for
   each XRCP will be either a 200 for acceptance, or a 4xx/5xx code for
   rejection; 450 and all 5xx codes are permanent rejections (e.g. user
   not known) which should be reported to the human sender, whereas 4xx
   codes in general connote some temporary error that may be rectified
   later.  None of the 4xx/5xx replies impinge on previous or succeeding
   XRCP commands, except for 440 which indicates that no further XRCP's
   will succeed unless a message is sent to the already stored
   recipients or a reset is done.

   Sending message text to stored recipients is done by giving a MAIL or
   MLFL command with no argument; that is, just MAIL<CRLF> or
   MLFL<CRLF>.  Transmission of the message text is exactly the same as
   for normal MAIL/MLFL; however, a positive acknowledgement at the end
   of transmission means that the message has been sent to ALL
   recipients that were remembered with XRCP, and a failure code means
   that it should be considered to have failed for ALL of these
   specified recipients.  This applies regardless of the actual error
   code; and whether the reply signifies success or failure, all stored
   recipient names are flushed and forgotten - in other words, things
   are reset to their initial state.  This purging of the recipient name
   list must also be done as the "reset" side effect of any use of XRSQ.

   A 440 reply to an XRCP can thus be handled by using a MAIL/MLFL to
   specify the message for currently stored recipients, and then sending
   more XRCP's and another MAIL/MLFL, as many times as necessary; for
   example, if a server only had room for 10 names this would result in
   a 50-recipient message being sent 5 times, to 10 different recipients
   each time.

   If a user attempts to specify message text (MAIL/MLFL with no





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NWG/RFC# 743                                  KLH 30-Dec-77 08:39  42759
An Extension to FTP



   argument) before any successful XRCP's have been given, this should
   be treated exactly as a "normal" MAIL/MLFL with a null recipient
   would be; most servers will return an error of some type, such as
   "450 Null recipient".

   See Appendix B for an example using XRSQ R.

Scheme mechanics: XRSQ T (Text first)

   In the text-first scheme, MAIL/MLFL with no argument is used to
   specify message text, which the server stores away.  Succeeding
   XRCP's are then treated as if they were MAIL/MLFL commands, except
   that none of the text transfer manipulations are done; the stored
   message text is sent to the specified recipient, and a reply code is
   returned identical to that which an actual MAIL/MLFL would invoke.
   (Note ANY 2xx code indicates success.)

   The stored message text is not forgotten until the next MAIL/MLFL or
   XRSQ, which will either replace it with new text or flush it
   entirely.  Any use of XRSQ will reset this scheme by flushing stored
   text, as will any use of MAIL/MLFL with a non-null argument.

   If an XRCP is seen before any message text has been stored, the user
   in effect is trying to send a null message; some servers might allow
   this, others would return an error code.

   See Appendix C for an example using XRSQ T.

Why two schemes anyway?

   Because neither by itself is optimal for all systems.  XRSQ R allows
   more of a "bulk" mailing, because everything is saved up and then
   mailed simultaneously; this is very useful for systems such as ITS
   where the FTP server does not itself write mail directly, but hands
   it on to a central mailer demon of great power; the more information
   (e.g. recipients) associated with a single "hand-off", the more
   efficiently mail can be delivered.

   By contrast, XRSQ T is geared to FTP servers which want to deliver
   mail directly, in one-by-one incremental fashion.  This way they can
   return an individual success/failure reply code for each recipient
   given which may depend on variable file system factors such as
   exceeding disk allocation, mailbox access conflicts, and so forth; if
   they tried to emulate XRSQ R's bulk mailing, they would have to
   ensure that a success reply to the MAIL/MLFL indeed meant that it had
   been delivered to ALL recipients specified - not just some.






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