Personal Mail Server

Name

PMS-SRV -- Personal Mail Server

Synopsis

This file describes XRPi's inbuilt Personal Mail Server, which can be used for both private messages and bulletins.

Description

XRPi's Personal Mail Server (PMS) is a no-frills message storage and retrieval system which is primarily intended for exchanging messages between users and sysops.

The PMS generates and understands SIDs (System IDentifiers), MIDs (Message IDentifiers) and BIDs (Bulletin IDentifiers), hierarchical addressing, bulletins, MBL forwarding and reverse forwarding, so it can also be used to exchange private mail and bulletins with a full-service Bulletin Board System (BBS). In fact it is a mini-BBS in its own right, as users may leave bulletins for others to read.

There is no limit to the number of messages or the size of a message. Messages are stored on the disk and persist until killed.

If there is unread local private mail in the PMS, the sysop is alerted by a flashing "*" to the left of the time on the XRPi status bar.

Configuring The PMS

If you want to enable the PMS, you must configure at least PMSCALL in XROUTER.CFG. If you want your PMS to be visible on the NetRom network, you must additionally add PMSALIAS and a non-zero PMSQUAL. For example:

	PMSCALL=G8PZT-2
	PMSALIAS=PZTPMS
	PMSQUAL=50

Connecting To The PMS

The PMS may be accessed using the "PMS" command.

In addition, if PMSCALL is defined in XROUTER.SYS, users may perform an AX25 level 2 connect directly to the PMSCALL. (PMSCALL must not not be the same as NODECALL)

If PMSALIAS and a suitable PMSQUAL are also defined, users may also connect directly to the PMS from another node, using NetRom.

At the time of writing there is no direct TCP/IP access to the the PMS, because a regular Telnet connection followed by the issuing of the "PMS" command is sufficient.

PMS Commands

The PMS has its own simple commands as follows:

	B[ye]           Disconnect from the PMS.
	H[elp]          Display list of commands.
	K[ill] <n>      Kill message number n.
	L[ist]          List messages.
	Q[uit]          Disconnect from the PMS
	R[ead] <n>      Read message number n.
	S[end]          Send a message to sysop.

Message status markers:

Status ' ' indicates unread "local" private mail.
Status '$' indicates unforwarded non-local mail.
Status 'F' indicates forwarded non-local mail.
Status 'R' indicates local private mail that has been read.

Disconnecting From The PMS

To exit the PMS, the user may send BYE or QUIT, or simply disconnect.

If the user sends the BYE or QUIT command, and he had accessed the PMS using the "PMS" command, he is returned to XRPi's main command prompt upon exit, otherwise he is disconnected.

Files

Messages are stored in the PMS subdirectory within the XRPi working directory. Within the PMS directory, the file LASTMSG.SYS holds the last message number. Do not delete this file!

Note

If a command alias, or an application, with the name "PMS" is defined, it takes priority over the internal PMS.

Availability

The PMS is available to all users.

See also

PMS -- PMS Command