![]() Ok, so now we know that there are six different parts in a mail system: the MTA, the MDA, the MUA, the MSA, the IMAP and/or POP server, and the user database. Those users and addresses are defined in a user database, which is accessible by all other system part for verification purposes. If you have a mail system, you most likely have users with mail addresses. The MSA will take the mail and hand it over to the MTA, who will then deliver it to a post office. Who will take care of that? The easy way is to let your MUA talk to a Mail Submission Agent (MSA). The language used when your MUA speaks to the post office to get your mail is called Post Office Protocol (POP).īut sometimes you want to write mails as well, and when they are written they need to be delivered. The MUA will act as your servant, getting your mail for you and putting it in your home. Those post offices only let you get your mail and store it in your home. There are also simpler post offices which can’t handle the remote reading feature. And don’t worry about not being able to speak IMAP yourself – your MUA will help you with it. ![]() All you need is your TV – sorry, I mean MUA. IMAP is great since it lets you read your mail wherever you are. The mail never leaves the post office, but you can read it all the same! The language you use to tell the post office clerk which mail to show you, and where to put it after you read it is called Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and the post office clerk showing you your mails is called IMAP server. When the post office clerk holds your mail up in front of the camera, you can read it while sitting in your TV sofa. It’s like the post office had a camera and you a TV set. This wonderful piece of software makes it possible to read the mail at the post office without having you walking over there. Enter the Mail User Agent (MUA), often called a mail client. Now you can walk to the post office and read your mail, but since this is the Internet you don’t actually have to go to the post office. These mailboxes are often called “folders†by the end users, but in reality they are a collection of mailboxes. In some post offices, every user can have a number of mailboxes. The MDA might also be able to send out auto respond messages (sometimes called vacation messages). This post office is called Mail Delivery Agent (MDA). The MTA only knows one language when talking to other MTAs and other system parts: the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).Īt the post office, the mail can be filtered to prevent you from receiving spam, viruses and then put in the right mailbox. That’s called a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA). There are plenty of servers that are needed to make it all happen, and the end users needs clients to take advantage of the services provided by the servers.įirst of all, a mail man who can carry the mail to the post office is needed. How mail systems work The mail system partsĪ mail system consists of many parts. Comments are welcome at HowMailSystemsWorkComments ?. This is a small text written by me, Fredrik Jervfors, to be used as a reference when trying to explain mail systems to the end users.
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