RFC 2221 (rfc2221) - Page 1 of 5
IMAP4 Login Referrals
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group M. Gahrns
Request for Comments: 2221 Microsoft
Category: Standards Track October 1997
IMAP4 Login Referrals
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1997). All Rights Reserved.
1. Abstract
When dealing with large amounts of users and many IMAP4 [RFC-2060]
servers, it is often necessary to move users from one IMAP4 server to
another. For example, hardware failures or organizational changes
may dictate such a move.
Login referrals allow clients to transparently connect to an
alternate IMAP4 server, if their home IMAP4 server has changed.
A referral mechanism can provide efficiencies over the alternative
'proxy method', in which the local IMAP4 server contacts the remote
server on behalf of the client, and then transfers the data from the
remote server to itself, and then on to the client. The referral
mechanism's direct client connection to the remote server is often a
more efficient use of bandwidth, and does not require the local
server to impersonate the client when authenticating to the remote
server.
2. Conventions used in this document
In examples, "C:" and "S:" indicate lines sent by the client and
server respectively.
A home server, is an IMAP4 server that contains the user's inbox.
A remote server is a server that contains remote mailboxes.
Gahrns Standards Track