PGP: sequencing messages

[Steve Lamb]

Wednesday, April 05, 2000, 9:47:54 AM, Trevor wrote:
> On Wed, 05 Apr 2000 16:30:59 +0100, Brian Morrison wrote:

>>Just looked at RFC822, it states that the ID's uniqueness is guaranteed
>>by the server that generates it.

> Exactly as I thought.

    Erm, you need to read exactly what is written.  Remember that little game
where you line up a bunch of kids, tell the first in line a story, have them
pass it along and see what comes out the other side?

     4.6.1.  MESSAGE-ID / RESENT-MESSAGE-ID

             This field contains a unique identifier  (the  local-part
        address  unit)  which  refers to THIS version of THIS message.
        The uniqueness of the message identifier is guaranteed by  the
        host  which  generates  it.  This identifier is intended to be
        machine readable and not necessarily meaningful to humans.   A
        message  identifier pertains to exactly one instantiation of a
        particular message; subsequent revisions to the message should
        each receive new message identifiers.

    He said "server", it says "host".  A big difference between those words.

> How is PMMail/2 supposed to get this message ID from the server? I'm
> not an expert on SMTP, but does SMTP have any facility for sending
> back the message ID to PMMail/2? I doubt it.

    The SMTP server is not the only thing which can generate it.  PMMail
itself can generate it like nearly every other MUA in existence, every
newsreader (you are aware that news is based in RFC822, right?), and every
Fido-Net Technology reader?

> Once again, please if there is a way that PMMail/2 *should* be
> getting the message id from the server at send time, let me know. If
> there is, then this failure to do so is a bug. Otherwise, PMMail/2 is
> already operating as well as it can.

    No, it is not, it is failing to generate a MSGID on its own as it should.

> When PMMail/2 bounces a message it leaves the original headers
> intact. So the original message id line is still there. Additional
> headers are also added to the message (by the SMTP server),
> including:

> Resent-Message-Id: <200004051640.NAA18251@jupiter.accesscable.net>

> (with a different id string, of course). This ID is unique.

    Uhm, no.  The SMTP server doesn't know it is a bounce and therefore cannot
assign a new MSGID.  Since it is a new version of the message it is up to
PMMail to move the current MSGID to resent and generate a new one.

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
         ICQ: 5107343          | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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