[Info-vax] Latest TCPIP Services seem irreparably horked...

[JF Mezei]

VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:

> Now, same email with the functioning POP server (after I fired up crippled
> SMTP process):

> AND... once POP is started AFTER SMTP, I can kill of SMTP and it still
> functions!!!  WTF!


My suspicion was correct.  When starting, the POP server asks TCPIP
service for the SMTP configuration data. If the SMTP service is
disabled, it doesn't get it (or gets a default).

Once pop has gotten the config info, it doesn't matter if the SMTp
service is shut down since POP already has the stuff it wanted.


The POP server doesn't need to look at the SMTP service config.  POP is
about accessing your VMSmail mailbox. It isn't about using the SMTP
protocol to receive and send emails from/to the internet.

My guess is that the newbies were given a training exercise on how to
use the private TCPIP$ routines and given a homework to show they can
use those routines, so the guy in charge of POP decided to read the SMTP
config, not realising the difference between SMTP and POP.

You could define the SMTP service to be a dummy one which listen to some
random port and calls NLA0: instead of a command procedure when there is
an inbound call for it, and define the SMTP queue to have some standard
printer symbiont with output to NLA0:

This woudl allow you to start SMTP in a way that the routine would feed
the POP server its config, but the SMTP software woudln't actually
process any internet emails.

Am glad I moved my emails to postfix on OS-X.