RFC 196 (rfc196) - Page 2 of 4

Mail Box Protocol

A MAIL BOX PROTOCOL                             RFC 196  NIC 7141

The standard receiving mail printer for mail box number 0 is
assumed to have a print line 72 characters wide, and a page of 66
lines.  The new line convention will be carriage return (X'OD')
followed by line feed (X'OA') as per the Telnet Protocol RFC 158,
NIC 6768.  The standard printer will accept form feed (X'OC') as
meaning move paper to the top of a new page.

It is the senders responsibility to control the length of the
print line and page. If more than 72 characters per line are sent
or if more than 66 lines are sent without a form feed, than the
receiving site can handle these situations as appropriate for
them.  These conventions can be changed by control codes as
described below.

A message or document being sent to any mail box is a string of 8
bit bytes.

At the head of the message or document sent to mail box number 0
there is to be an initial address string terminated by a form
feed.  This address string is to contain the sender's name and
address, and the receiver's name and address formatted in some
reasonable, easy-to-read form for a clerk to read and distribute.
Comments could also be included in the address string.

The format of information in mail boxes other than mail box
number 0 is not explicitly defined by this protocol.

Initial Connection

   Initial Connection will be as per the Official Initial
   Connection Protocol, Documents #2, NIC 7101, to a standard
   socket not yet assigned.  A candidate socket number would be
   socket #5.

Data Transmission

   Data Transmission will be as per the Data Transfer Protocol,
   RFC 171, NIC 6793.  That is, there will be a Modes Available
   handshake, and then transmission of special control
   information and data. A message or document is defined to be a
   block of data.  Control information is to be global.  That is,
   once a control mode is set it is assumed to apply during the