Revision of the Mail Box Protocol
A 1971 revision of the Mail Box Protocol, which sends plain text mail to a line printer using FTP.
Bhushan, A.K., Braden, R.T., Harslem, E., Heafner, J.F., McKenzie, A.M., Melvin, J.T., Sundberg, R.L., Watson, R.W., and J.E. White, "Revision of the Mail Box Protocol", RFC 278, DOI 10.17487/RFC0278, November 1971, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc278>.
@misc{rfc278,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 278,
howpublished = {RFC 278},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0278},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc278},
author = {A.K. Bhushan and R.T. Braden and E. Harslem and J.F. Heafner and A.M. McKenzie and J.T. Melvin and R.L. Sundberg and R.W. Watson and J.E. White},
title = {{Revision of the Mail Box Protocol}},
pagetotal = 4,
year = 1971,
month = nov,
} RFC text
NWG/RFC# 278 RWW 17-NOV-71 14:12 8056 Revision of the Mail Box Protocol NETWORK WORKING GROUP Abhay Bhushan, MIT-DMCG Request for Comments #278 Bob Braden, UCLA-CCN NIC 8056 Eric Harslem, RAND Categories: A.5, O.7 John Heafner, RAND Obsoletes RFC 221, NIC 7612 Alex McKenzie, BBN-NET John Melvin, SRI-ARC Bob Sundberg, HARV Dick Watson, SRI-ARC Jim White, UCSB 17-Nov-1971 REVISION OF THE MAIL BOX PROTOCOL The file transfer committee met and discussed the Mail Box Protocol RFC 221, NIC 7612. The potential utility for the mechanism was confirmed and a couple of changes suggested. We first give the changes and then restate the Protocol. CHANGES 1) The Mail Box Protocol is only to allow ASCII stings of text formatted for a network standard line printer rather than allowing other data types. 2) A new command is to be added to the File Transfer Protocol called "Append With Create" which appends to a file if the file exists, and creates a file if it does not exist. 3) The standard path name for the mailbox is to be, using conventional metalanguage symbols, "MAIL" <separator> ("PRINTER"/<ident>) <separator> is the ASCII GS, octal 035. The semantics of the above are the following: <ident> is a NIC IDENT "MAIL" <separator> "PRINTER" would be interpreted by the receiving site as meaning Append With Create the transmitted file to a bulk mail file to be printed or directly output it to a printer. "MAIL" <separator> <ident> would be interpreted to mean either NWG/RFC# 278 RWW 17-NOV-71 14:12 8056 Revision of the Mail Box Protocol 1) The same as "MAIL" <separator> "PRINTER" i.e., ignore <ident> or 2) Append With Create the following file to a file specifically for the person designated by <ident> for either online access or printing or both. The problem of delivering mail to TIPs was discussed. At the moment TIPs support only the Telnet Protocol, but it is planned to support the Data Transfer Protocol. TIPs will have an ASCII line printer available as an optional device. People desiring to send a mail item to a TIP with a printer can open a standard published socket and transmit to it with Telnet Protocol now, later also with the Data Transfer Protocol. The NIC's plans with regard to TIPs is not to do automatic network delivery to them. Messages to people using TIPs can be sent to them through the NIC and will be delivered as with everyone else directly to the person's initial file at the NIC. The TIP user can read the item online or obtain a hardcopy at his terminal with the Output Device Teletype command of NLS. MAIL BOX PROTOCOL The Mail Box Protocol will use established network conventions, specifically the Network Control Program, Initial Connection Protocol, Data Transfer Protocol, and File Transfer Protocol (as described in current Network Protocols, NIC 7104). The transmission is to be Network ASCII. The standard receiving mail printer is assumed to have a print line 72 characters wide, and a page of 66 lines. The new line convention will be carriage return (Hex per the Telnet Protocol, RFC 158, NIC 6768. The standard printer will accept form feed character (Hex '0C') (Octal '014') as meaning move paper to the top of a new page. It is the sender's 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 line are sent without a form feed, then the receiving site can handle these situations as appropriate for them. These conventions can be changed by control codes as described below. At the head of the message or document sent there is to be two copies of an initial address string each terminated by a form feed. This address string is to contain the sender's name and address, and the NWG/RFC# 278 RWW 17-NOV-71 14:12 8056 Revision of the Mail Box Protocol 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 requirements for two copies are to make one readable from a fan fold paper stack without effort. Initial Connection Initial Connection will be as per the Official Initial Connection Protocol, Document #2, NIC 7101, to the standard File Transfer socket #3. File Transfer The mail item (file) to be transferred would be transferred according to the File Transfer Protocol. As per the File Transfer Protocol, a file (mail item) can be sent in more than one data transaction as defined in the Data Transfer Protocol. End of file is indicated by the file separator (as defined in Data Transfer Protocol) or by closing the connection. Order of Transactions The only basic operation required is an Append With Create Append With Create Request (Mailer) User --------------------> Server (Mail Box) <File - data> --------------------> End of File indication --------------------> Acknowledge <-------------------- The data type default is network ASCII. The Standard line printer default is as defined above. Other control transactions can be used. CONTROL TRANSACTIONS TO BE USED NWG/RFC# 278 RWW 17-NOV-71 14:12 8056 Revision of the Mail Box Protocol OP CODE Hex Octal 09 011 Error or unsuccessful terminate 0A 012 Acknowledge or successful terminate 05 005 Append With Create request (add to existing file or create file if none exists) 5A 132 Change printer control settings ERROR CODES All error codes defined in the file Transfer Protocol could be returned. PRINTER CONTROL CODES Hex Octal D1 321 Meaning: Set line width to 72 characters D2 322 Meaning: Use the full width of your printer 03 323 Meaning: Set page size to 66 line 04 324 Meaning: Set page size to infinite Other virtual printer control codes can be added in the future. Other classes of control codes can be added as the need arises. [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ] [ into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the ] [ direction of Alex McKenzie. 12/96 ]
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On this page
§1What Changed
The file transfer committee met and confirmed the usefulness of the Mail Box Protocol of RFC 221. Three changes were made. Mail is only ASCII strings of text formatted for a network standard line printer. A new File Transfer Protocol command, Append With Create, appends to a file if it exists and creates it if it does not. And the standard mailbox path name is now "MAIL" <separator> ("PRINTER"/<ident>), where the separator is the ASCII GS character, octal 035.
With PRINTER, the receiving site appends to a bulk mail file to be printed or sends it straight to a printer. With a NIC IDENT, it either treats it as PRINTER or appends to a file for that person.
Mail is now only plain printable text, there is a new command that makes the mailbox if needed, and the mailbox has a standard name.
§2Sending a Mail Item
The protocol uses the Network Control Program, the Initial Connection Protocol, the Data Transfer Protocol and the File Transfer Protocol. The sender connects to standard File Transfer socket 3 and sends the mail item as a file. The only basic operation required is Append With Create, followed by the data, an end-of-file indication and the server's acknowledge.
Transmission is network ASCII. The standard printer has a 72 character line and a 66 line page, and a form feed (hex 0C) moves to a new page. Sending more than that is the sender's responsibility, and the receiving site may handle overruns as it sees fit. The message begins with two copies of an address string, each ended by a form feed, giving the sender's and receiver's names and addresses so a clerk can read and distribute it.
You knock on door 3, say 'add this note', send the text, and get a thank-you. The first page has the address written twice so a clerk can read it easily.
§3Printer Controls and TIPs
A change-printer-settings control transaction, opcode hex 5A, lets the sender set the line width to 72 characters, use the full printer width, set the page size to 66 lines or set it to infinite. Other control codes can be added later, and all error codes of FTP may be returned.
TIPs then supported only Telnet. People wanting to mail a TIP with a printer could open a standard published socket and send with Telnet. The NIC did not plan automatic network delivery to TIPs, and mail for TIP users goes to their initial file at the NIC.
The sender can tell the printer how wide or long the pages are. Some small terminals could not take mail directly, so their mail waits at the information office.