🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1990Aug17.021921.1863@chinet.chi.il.us>, les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) writes:
> There was some discussion of mail server programs for unix machines
> a while ago but not I can't find the information.  I'm interested
> in something that would provide a simple way to retreive files
> by sending mail messages to a server program.  What are the choices
> and where can I find them?
> Thanks in advance.
>   Les Mikesell
>   les@chinet.chi.il.us

[ In this article you will find a description of RNA 2.0, which i think
  is what you are looking for.. ]

I'm the author of a very simple mail server called RNA, posted in sources.misc
last year (august 89). Since september 1989 i've been working on the second
version of rnalib; sadly, the source grew up since beta testers were
asking for improvements, and had now much time to spend on the program.
I take the chance to say 'sorry!' to these people, who offered their time
to test the program and never received the damn stuff:

From: len@netsys.NETSYS.COM (Len Rose)
From: Frank G. Fiamingo <ddsw1!riacs!rutgers!hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu!frank>
From: ddsw1!riacs!rutgers!quark.wv.tek.com!jeff (Jeff Beadles)
From: ddsw1!uunet!aunro.AthabascaU.CA!myrias!cs!lyndon (Lyndon Nerenberg)
From: relay.EU.net!mje%olsa99 (Mark J Elkins)
From: ddsw1!uunet!ficc!morrison
From: Gopal Sridhara <ddsw1!ames!ncar.UCAR.EDU!boulder!uswat!srid>
From: tom reingold <ddsw1!bellcore!ctt.bellcore.com!tr>
From: Willy Paine <rutgers!fungus.enet.dec.com!paine>

.. plus many others. Testers were accepted only within italy, were
i live, so i could have a phone contact without spending $$$.
RNA 2.0 is "almost-ready" since april 90. I'd wished to release it
since june, but i married and my wife doesn't love rna. Hehehe ;-)

RNA (also called 'rnalib') is a bourne shell script program, about
60K bytes long, which is able to process commands sent via
ordinary e-mail, and send back responses. RNA was made for
file-servers onto Sublink Network, which is an independent uucp
network in italy (actually under domain .sublink.org).
It was written in shell since the first version (which was 9K long)
was in shell; i went on using this impossible language, doing the
longest shell script i'll hopefully write in my life (never more! never more!)

Rnalib is pretty clever, and *portable* (!). Comes configured for:
- Xenix 386
- SCO Unix
- AT&T 3b2 unix
- HP unix (bsd etc.etc)
- Interactive unix

Should run at the first try on any other existing unix; will not (NOT)
run on any 286 xenix systems,due to the limited stack size of shell.
I have a copy of 'netlib' from at&t; well, maybe you'll like best rna.
Mainly because it's configurable in less than 10 minutes, has all
of the features of netlib PLUS many many others..
Futhermore, no need to compile the stupid shell! 


RNA 2.0 - Quick Overview

Capability of:

-	getting the original path where mail was generated from.
	
-	understanding headers, following rfc-822 standard.
	
-	security checks
	
-	multiple requests per message
	
-	handling 'libraries' (indexed directories)
	
-	dealing with binary files, using 'uuencode' or 'btoa' when needed.
	
-	sending through e-mail, uucp, uusend
	
-	dealing with file compression, when needed.
	
-	dealing with privileged users' request, asking for 'external' 
	destinations (addresses other than theirs).
	
-	handling 'blacklist': unauthorized paths/users/hosts/gateways
	which cannot forward queries to rna.
	
-	accounting at different levels (pathsizing). Credits might be
	fixed as default number of bytes which a path/user/gateway may
	ask before being denied. 
	
-	automatically register new paths/users/gateways, giving a default
	credit limit.
	
-	asking new paths/users/gateways to register before using rna.
	
-	going on 'hold'. That is, a controlled out-of-order state, which
	notifies users that the service is on hold for some time. When
	service is resumed, all queries are processed.
	
-	understanding errors, suggesting a possible solution to the remote
	user. A friendly approach to unexperienced people.

-	detecting remote-rejected mail, and discarding the stuff. 

	
Here are some rna 2.0 queries:

	@@ index games
	@@ send tetris.Z from games 
	@@ send tetris.Z from games via uucp
	@@ send tetris.doc from games with compress-uucp
	@@ send tetris.Z from games with btoa via email
	@@ help to myfriend@host.domain
	@@ credits
	@@ please send file.doc using uusend with compress
	@@ find tetris
	

Easy to install!
RNA is a Bourne Shell script: you don't need to compile sources.
Easy to learn!
RNA configuration comes with 'docs', step-by-step. You learn of RNA
while you configure.
Easy to maintain!
RNA need no help to survive: it will send you a mail as soon as 
problems appear. It will try to solve them by itself before notifying
you about the matter.


SHIPPING:
Actually, RNA is ready. The docs are not. This is the point.
I've planned to send rnalib 2.0 to comp.sources.misc at the
beginning of september, and i promised to myself to do it.

The at&t 'netlib' program is probably a nice solution to file-servers
using email, but i found the docs and the whole installation
very difficult.. Beside, i wrote rna keeping in mind netlib's limitations.
Maybe there's a new version of netlib around, i dunno.
Since both the programs are 'free', one could try netlib as well!

Please don't ask for 'beta' versions of rnalib since i already have a
*long list to satisfy! In few weeks i'll ship everything around
and i'll post a message here .

Greets, Paolo

-- 
Paolo Ventafridda - Milano, ITALY  |  INTERNET: venta@i2ack.SUBLINK.ORG