RFC 2384 (rfc2384) - Page 1 of 8
POP URL Scheme
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group R. Gellens
Request for Comments: 2384 QUALCOMM, Incorporated
Category: Standards Track August 1998
POP URL Scheme
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 (1998). All Rights Reserved.
1. Introduction
[POP3] is a widely-deployed mail access protocol. Many programs
access POP3 message stores, and thus need POP3 configuration
information. Since there are multiple configuration elements which
are required in order to access a mailbox, a single string
representation is convenient.
A POP3 mailbox (like an [IMAP4] mailbox) is a network resource, and
URLs are a widely-supported generalized representation of network
resources.
A means of specifying a POP3 mailbox as a URL will likely be useful
in many programs and protocols. [ACAP] is one case where a string
encapsulation of elements required to access network services is
needed. For example, an [IMAP4] message store is usually specified
in ACAP datasets as an [IMAP-URL].
This memo defines a URL scheme for referencing a POP mailbox.
2. Conventions Used in this Document
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", and "MAY"
in this document are to be interpreted as defined in "Key words for
use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels" [KEYWORDS].
Gellens Standards Track