RFC 1616 (rfc1616) - Page 1 of 44
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Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group RARE WG-MSG Task Force 88
Request for Comments: 1616 May 1994
RARE Technical Report: 10
Category: Informational
X.400(1988) for the Academic and Research Community in Europe
A report by the RARE Task Force on X.400(1988)
of the RARE Working Group on Mail & Messaging
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of
this memo is unlimited.
1. Abstract
The European research and development community, as represented by
the member research networks of RARE, has lead the deployment within
the global R&D community of X.400 electronic messaging services, as
specified in the international recommendations CCITT X.400(1984), for
more than five years. As a result of providing such services to the
European R&D users it has become clear that there is an existing and
ever increasing demand from these users for new and enhanced
electronic messaging services and product to be used to communicate
within the R&D community but within commercial service providers and
organisations as well.
It is also clear that new services, such as Multimedia messaging and
Secure messaging, and the resulting products promise dramatic
benefits and opportunities, for not only the R&D community but also
for the wider commercial, industrial and public communities, in terms
of facilitating innovative ways of working and living which can only
enhance the missions and goals of the respective communities. Not
least the establishment of globally pervasive messaging services
between all users, R&D and commercial, is facilitated by the early
adoption of such advanced new services. An indication of the
importance of such a messaging service can be appreciated if one
considers that in many organizations (especially commercially based)
messaging may be the only method to communicate between independent
organizations due to security considerations and lower layer network
differences.
The Commission of European Communities (CEC) VALUE subprogram II has
been established to support initiatives relating to the development
and adaptation of R&D networks in member states. Amongst other
RARE WG-MSG Task Force 88