VMS Help
TCPIP Services, SMTP
*Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)
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For exchanging electronic mail (e-mail) with users working on
internet hosts, the DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS product
includes Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office
Protocol (POP) software.
SMTP allows you to use the OpenVMS mail services to send and
receive messages exchanged with users on other internet hosts.
The POP software allows you to use your PC mail software to
receive and send messages. The software stores mail sent to you,
even when the PC is turned off.
To use the DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS mail services, you
need the following:
o Knowledge of the OpenVMS Mail utility
o User names and IP addresses of the people to whom you want to
send mail
To send e-mail to another internet host also running SMTP, simply
invoke the OpenVMS Mail utility at the DCL prompt, type SEND at
the MAIL> prompt, and enter the destination. A remote destination
consists of the user name followed by an ampersand (@) and the
host (such as user_name@host). If the user is on your local host,
omit the ampersand (@) and host name.
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: destination_user@destination_host
Specify the destination host as either a host name or an IP
address.
The OpenVMS Mail utility automatically detects destination
addresses that include fully qualified host names (where the node
component includes a period (.), such as MALCOLM@PHILOS.BU.EDU)
and sends the mail using the SMTP protocol, unless your system
has been set up to use a different Internet protocol (by defining
an alternate protocol with the MAIL$INTERNET_TRANSPORT logical
name).
However, if you use a destination address that is not fully
qualified - that is, one in which the node component does not
include a period (.) - the Mail utility by default assumes
the address is a DECnet address. For example, if you specified
MALCOLM@PHILOS as the destination address, the Mail utility
converts it to the DECnet format PHILOS::MALCOLM.
You can force the OpenVMS Mail utility to use a specific protocol
by defining the MAIL$INTERNET_MODE logical name. This is useful
in cases where a mail address, such as MALCOLM@PHILOS, can be
valid for either SMTP or DECnet.
You can assign one of the following values to the MAIL$INTERNET_
MODE logical name:
o SMTP
Mail always interprets the node component of an unqualified
address as an Internet address specification. (SMTP is the
default mode unless you define an alternate Internet transport
with the MAIL$INTERNET_TRANSPORT logical name.)
o DECNET
Mail always interprets the node component of an unqualified
address as a DECnet node specification.
o HYBRID (the default)
Mail uses an Internet protocol if the node component of the
address contains a period. If no periods are in the node
component, Mail uses the DECnet protocol.
Define the logical name in your LOGIN.COM file. For example, the
following definition causes the Mail utility to interpret any
address that does not include a period in the node component of
the specification as an Internet address:
$ DEFINE MAIL$INTERNET_MODE SMTP
Another way to force the OpenVMS Mail utility to use SMTP is to
include the SMTP% prefix. At the To: prompt, type SMTP% and, with
no space, either the destination name or IP address. Enclose the
destination in quotation marks, as in the following example:
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: SMTP%"malcolm@philos"
So, if you want to prevent the OpenVMS Mail utility from
automatically converting an unqualified Internet host name
address to a format for DECnet use, you have three choices:
o Fully qualify the host name (for example, specify
MALCOLM@PHILOS.BU.EDU instead of MALCOLM@PHILOS).
o Define the MAIL$INTERNET_MODE logical name as SMTP.
o Include the SMTP% prefix and the destination address in
quotation marks (for example, SMTP%"MALCOLM@PHILOS.BU.EDU").
For more information on the OpenVMS Mail utility and how it
interprets addresses, see the appropriate OpenVMS documentation.
To send mail to more than one user, use the SEND command, but at
the To: prompt, type a list of names or the name of an existing
distribution list.
When you type a list of names, use the following guidelines:
o Separate each name with a comma ( , ).
o If multiple users are on the same remote host, type the full
user_name@host combination for each user.
o If a user is on your local host, omit the ampersand (@) and
host.
Use the following syntax:
MAIL> SEND
To: user1,user2,user3@host3,user4@host4
where:
user1 is located at the local OpenVMS system.
user2 is located at the local OpenVMS system.
user3 is located at host3.
user4 is located at host4.
MAIL> SEND
To: user1@host5,user2@host5
In this example, both users are located at remote host5.
To send mail to multiple users by entering the name of a
distribution list, follow these guidelines:
o The file with the distribution list can be yours or belong to
someone else.
o The file can reside locally or remotely.
o Do not include the names of other distribution lists in the
distribution list.
You can use two kinds of distribution lists: OpenVMS distribution
lists and SMTP distribution lists.
2.1 - OpenVMS list
Generate an OpenVMS distribution list as follows:
- Create a .DIS file in your own directory or use an existing
one.
- You can include comment lines (lines preceded by an
exclamation mark (!)).
- You can include both OpenVMS addresses and SMTP addresses. If
you want the Mail utility to use SMTP for all SMTP addresses,
qualified and unqualified, either set the MAIL$INTERNET_MODE
logical name to SMTP, specify fully qualified SMTP addresses
only, or use the SMTP% prefix with the destination enclosed in
quotation marks.
- To send mail to the people on your distribution list, enter:
MAIL> SEND
To: @list_name
2.2 - SMTP list
Generate an SMTP distribution list as follows:
- Create, or use an existing, .DIS file in
SYS$SPECIFIC:[TCPIP$SMTP] or, if defined on your system,
TCPIP$SMTP_COMMON:.
- Give the list a unique name that is not the same as a local
user name.
- Specify comment lines with an exclamation mark (!) in the
first column.
- Include only SMTP addresses.
- Use one address per line.
- To send mail to the people on this distribution list, enter
the following command:
MAIL> SEND
To: list_name@host_where_list_resides
If the MAIL$INTERNET_MODE logical name is not set to SMTP,
specify a fully qualified host name or use the SMTP% prefix
with quotation marks enclosing the distribution list/host
specification.
2.3 - Examples
The following examples show some different methods of using
distribution lists.
1. This example sends mail to users whose names are on the local
OpenVMS distribution list AGENCIES.DIS. The distribution list
file is displayed in this example. The MAIL$INTERNET_MODE
logical name is not set, so by default unqualified Internet
addresses would be sent over DECnet; therefore, the AUDUBON@NY
address is included with the SMTP% prefix and quotation marks.
$ TYPE AGENCIES.DIS
!
! This is an OpenVMS distribution file named AGENCIES.DIS.
!
SMTP%"audubon@ny"
WILLIAMS@BELTWAY.ORG
WILDLIFE@DALLAS.ORG
jmuir@19.8.7.6
SEC@GP.INTER8.ORG
BATES::SCOPE
!
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: @AGENCIES.DIS
Subj: NEWS TO WATCH FOR
2. This example sends mail to users whose names are on the
local SMTP distribution list SYS$SPECIFIC:[TCPIP$SMTP]NATL_
INTEREST.DIS. The distribution list file is displayed in this
example.
$ TYPE NATL_INTEREST.DIS
green@19.8.7.6
wlf@19.7.6.5
arlo@19.4.3.2
free::monicaL
wendell@biolo.ne.edu
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: natl_interest@main_office.org
Subj: News Items
3. This example sends mail to the users on SMTP distribution list
FINANCE_CENTERS.DIS, which is maintained on remote mail server
host HOLBROOK.
$ TYPE FINANCE_CENTERS.DIS
ny_accts@23.9.7.4
sf_stocks@23.7.11.2
dallas_pfs@23.1.5.1
denver_accts@holbrook
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: finance_centers@holbrook
Subj: Portfolio Activity
To read received mail, follow these steps:
1. At the DCL prompt, type MAIL.
2. At the MAIL> prompt, use the DIRECTORY command to view a list
of received messages.
3. Use the READ command or indicate the message number you want
to view in exactly the same way as you would for OpenVMS mail.
In the following example, a user views the directory of unread
new mail and selects Message 3 to read.
$ MAIL
You have 3 new messages.
MAIL> DIRECTORY
NEWMAIL
# From Date Subject
1 GWAY::SMTP%"helenm@bhc 10-MAR-1998 Just Checking In
2 GWAY::SMTP%"mays@sfg 11-MAR-1998 Common Bases
3 CBIRD::SMTP%"seaway 12-MAR-1998 Cruises
MAIL> 3
You can define a "personal name" string that is included at
the top of all the mail messages you send. To create a personal
name with SMTP mail, use the SET PERSONAL_NAME command with the
following restrictions:
o Enclose the string in quotation marks.
o Do not use additional double quotation marks within the
string.
o You may use single quotation marks ( ' ' ).
o Do not use 8-bit ASCII characters, for example, ä or ö.
The eighth bit is truncated. For example, ä becomes d and ö
becomes v.
The following example shows a user setting a personal name that
includes quotation marks:
$ MAIL
MAIL> SET PERSONAL_NAME "'Wellth' is in the mind"
You can enable "carbon copying" by using the SET CC-PROMPT
command. Follow these guidelines when you specify destinations
for the CC: prompt:
o Follow the OpenVMS Mail conventions for copying mail to other
people or to yourself.
o For entering the correct address, follow the guidelines listed
in the Sending Mail section.
The following example sends mail to user AL and carbon copies
users ROLLINS, BOND, and RICH:
MAIL> SEND
To: al@airways
CC: rollins,bond,rich@flight_central.com
Subj: Directions for Night Flight
You can forward any mail you receive to any internet host. Follow
the OpenVMS Mail conventions for forwarding mail.
If you move to another system that supports SMTP, SMTP can
forward your mail to your new location. When you set this
features, type the new address within three sets of quotation
marks.
Use the following syntax:
MAIL> SET FORWARD
_Address:SMTP%"""new_user_name@forwarding_host"""
The UNIX to UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) lets a system copy files to
and from other systems running UUCP. UUCP is usually used to copy
files over a dialup connection.
To route mail using UUCP, ask your system manager to define the
general gateway in the SMTP configuration.
To use SMTP to route mail to a system running UUCP, address the
mail as follows:
MAIL> SEND
To: SMTP%"user_name!uucp_host"
The following example sends mail to geoffrey at host haldir:
$ MAIL
MAIL> SEND
To: SMTP%"geoffrey!haldir.of.com"
Ask your system manager if you need to specify a gateway host in
mail addresses when you work on UNIX to UNIX Copy Program (UUCP)
dialup lines.
The management commands that can help you work with SMTP mail
currently in a queue are listed in the following table. Type them
at the TCPIP> prompt.
Table 1 Commands for Using SMTP
Command Function
SHOW MAIL Displays information about mail
REMOVE MAIL Deletes mail messages that are in holding state
in SMTP queues
SEND MAIL Releases for delivery a mail message that is in
a holding state
Displaying Mail Status
Use the SHOW MAIL command to display information about SMTP mail,
such as:
o Message (entry) number of the queued mail
o User name of the sender (to display information about other
users, you need SYSPRV or BYPASS privileges)
o File name of the queued mail
o Status of a message
Deleting Queued Mail
The following examples show how to delete mail messages from
SMTP queues, using the TCPIP REMOVE command (similar to the DCL
DELETE/ENTRY command).
NOTE
Use this command only to release mail messages that are
being held; do not use this command to delete mail messages
in the processing state.
Releasing Queued Mail
The following example shows how to requeue an SMTP mail message
that is currently holding, using the TCPIP SEND MAIL command
(similar to the DCL ENTRY/RELEASE command). You are prompted to
confirm you want the mail message requeued.
$ TCPIP SEND MAIL /ENTRY=828
_PLUTO$DKD0:[MARLOW]970207015114580_MARLOW.TCPIP_PLUTO;1? y
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