RFC 479 (rfc479) - Page 2 of 5

Use of FTP by the NIC Journal

RFC 479              Use of FTP by the NIC Journal            March 1973


   forwarding and recording (i.e., the Journal System) as a service.
   However, other hosts may in the future desire to implement a similar
   service, at which time these special commands will have wider use.

   Conceptually, all of these commands are sub-commands of a new MAIL
   command, but the intent for the moment is not to define their
   position within the FTP dialogue nor their syntax, but simply to
   describe them conceptually.  Details of syntax and use are left to
   the FTP Interest Group which meets 16-MAR-73 in Boston (see --
   14333,).

   The new sub-commands are described below.  Bracketed fields are
   optional; slash denotes a choice of two or more alternatives.

      (1)  TITLE title

         Where 'title' is a character string describing for the human
         reader the contents of the mail.

      (2)  USER-READABLE-AUTHOR author

         Where 'author' identifies the author of the mail to the human
         reader.  This may be a nickname, or any other identifier with
         which the human sender chooses to sign his mail.

      (3)  PROCESS-READABLE-AUTHOR last, first initial (ident)

         Where the author's name (and ident if known) is made available
         to the server in a form it can hope to parse (if need be).

         This sub-command is important to the NIC, providing a basis for
         locating the author in the NIC's Ident files.

      (4)  FOR-ACKNOWLEDGMENT-AUTHOR username hostname

         Where 'username' and 'hostname' define the sender in a way
         useful in acknowledging delivery (of forwarded mail).

            The acknowledgment will itself be a piece of mail sent from
            the NIC to 'username' at 'hostname'.

         It's important, conceptually, to note the NIC's unique role
         here.  Normally, acceptance of the mail by the server would
         constitute acknowledgment of delivery.  But, in the case of
         Journal submission, the NIC acts only as a forwarding agent,
         and hence delivery of mail by the sender to SRI-ARC isn't





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