RFC 453

Meeting Announcement to Discuss a Network Mail System ✨

Okay bestie, this is RFC 453 🦋, a meeting announcement written by Michael D. Kudlick of SRI-ARC, dated February 7, 1973. Its NIC number is 14317. It doesn't list a category, and it doesn't obsolete or update anything (none listed) 💅.

Purpose 🎀

This RFC announces a meeting at SRI-ARC about the Network Mail problem that came up at the January 1973 Principal Investigators' Meeting in San Diego 🌸.

The meeting is set for Thursday, February 22, 1973, at 8:30 AM in the SRI-ARC conference room ⏰. If a second day is needed, they'd use Friday 🧚.

The agenda covers the problem itself and alternate solutions 💜.

The goal is a clear definition of what the solution ought to be, what steps have to be taken, and who should do what 👑.

The results will be published as an RFC for further dialogue, the same way other suggested protocols are 🫶.

Aspects of the Problem 🔥

There are already several subsystems on the Network that send and receive mail 📬.

The main problem is to coordinate and extend these subsystems so that:

• a. uniform user and site identifications are used,
• b. the File Transfer Protocol is used so mail can be originated and distributed anywhere on the Network without going through a central system,
• c. the sender has an option to record the dialogue and have it catalogued for others to read and reference, and
• d. there is a way to handle mail for TIP users.
  • A suggestion made in the past to permanently attach a typewriter-type terminal to TIPs, to record all hardcopy messages directed to that TIP, should be reviewed 🙈.

SRI-ARC has been looking into using the File Transfer Protocol to send and deliver NIC Journal mail over the Network, without the user having to know and use NLS 💖. They plan to integrate this with the Tenex SNDMSG capabilities ✨. For some preliminary internal ARC discussion, you might want to read two Journal items: one by Charles Irby (IJOURNAL, 14308,1:w) and one by Jim White (IJOURNAL, 14312,1:w) 📖.

SRI-ARC knows this approach has lots of benefits, but wants the scheme to fit into an agreed-upon, Network-wide message and document sending protocol 🌈.

It's especially important that questions about user and site identification, recorded and unrecorded dialogue, and coordination with other mail subsystems on the Network are fully understood and mutually resolved at the design level before implementation work goes ahead 🫶. That's why they want to discuss these issues at the February 22 Network Mail meeting 😭.

Role of the NIC 🦋

Alongside that discussion, the Network Information Center might offer its services in three related areas 💅:

• to implement and maintain identification files for all network users and sites
  • These files could be available in sequential form through a standard socket, so Network sites could either query them or periodically grab an updated copy 🧚.
• to record in the NIC Journal any mail the sender wants recorded, and to catalogue those items for later reference 📚
• to distribute Journal or message mail through the Network via File Transfer Protocols, if requested 🚀
• to provide and use NIC dialogue group identifications, so it's simpler to send items to several people who share a common interest 💜

Network Mail Meeting Logistics 📞

If you or anyone at your site wants to attend, notify Mil Jernigan (MEJ) at SRI-ARC:

phone (415) 326-6200 ext. 4775

If you ask, they'll book motel reservations for you 🏨.

Signed ... MD Kudlick 💖

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