Main points from last lecture
• Client-server architecture
• Network sockets
• TL services to AL
Email and SMTP
Email is “most disruptive” Internet application
Objectives
What will be covered in this lecture?
• How email works
− Components
− Push and pull protocols
− MIME extensions
3 T. Landolsi | Computer Networks
Email
Push protocol SMTP | Pull protocols POP and IMAP
Email Components
UA | Servers | SMTP | IMAP
• User agents:
− software or browser
• Mail servers:
− handle sending, receiving, storing of electronic messages
• Protocols:
− SMTP push protocol used to send emails
− POP/IMAP pull protocols used to retrieve emails
• Email requires RDT from TL → Email protocols use TCP
5 T. Landolsi | Computer Networks
SMTP Example
Alice’s UA → Alice’s mail server → Bob’s mail server → Bob’s UA
1. Alice uses her UA to compose msg. to Bob’s email address
2. SMTP client app. on Alice’s PC:
• opens TCP connection to SMTP server app. on her mail server machine
• pushes msg. to SMTP server app.
• msg. placed in Alice’s outbox queue
3. SMTP client app. in Alice’s mail server machine:
• gets msg. from msg. queue
• opens TCP connection to SMTP server app. on Bob’s mail server machine
• SMTP client pushes Alice’s msg. into TCP connection
4. SMTP server app. on Bob’s mail server machine receives msg.
5. Bob’s mail server places msg. in Bob’s mailbox
6. Bob uses his UA to retrieve msg. at his convenience
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Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Default Email Push Protocol
• SMTP push protocol follows client-server model:
− client app. C pushes email; server app. S always listening on TCP port 25
− C and S perform AL-level handshake ≠ TCP handshake
− C and S interact directly; no in-between entity
− C and S use status codes and phrases
− Note: Mail server machine acts as SMTP client or as SMTP server
• SMTP requires email message, including its body, be in 7-bit ASCII format
− MIME extensions added later to support non-ASCII email multimedia content
− additional lines in message header used for content type, encoding method →
7 T. Landolsi | Computer Networks
Email Pull Protocols
Post Office Protocol vs. Internet Mail Access Protocol
Post Office Protocol C&S Interaction in Pull Protocol Internet Mail Access Protocol
• (+) Message storage limited only by • (+) Messages stored on server; not
capacity of computer affected if computer fails
• (-) Messages stored on PC, and may • (+) Easily use multiple PCs or
be lost if PC fails clients to read mail
• (-) Reading email from multiple PCs • (-) Message storage quota is limited
→ messages scattered by server capacity
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