Subject: Multiple simultaneous IMAP sessions

From: [email-masked] (Slippery Jim DiGrz)
Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 16:44:14 GMT

I'm in a situation where multiple people need to be able to manipulate
mail for a single account simultaneously from a remote system. IMAP4
looks like its the way to go but I have a few questions. I found the
following info in the IMAP mailing list archives regarding multiple
logins considering each IMAP session starts a server(daemon) proccess:

>If the second IMAP server has read/write access to the folder, it will steal
>the access rights from the first IMAP server and send the first IMAP server a
>signal (called "kiss of death") which instructs it to consider the folder
>readonly for the remainder of the session.  The idea is that an abandoned or
>forgotten IMAP server should relinquish control to a new server; in the past,
>the first IMAP server held on to read/write access rights and would not permit
>the second IMAP server to get it.
[snip]
>The solution to this conumdrum is to use a different format, one designed to
>permit multiple simultaneous access.  The UW version 4.0 imapd supports no
>less than 5 alternative mailbox formats (3 in the version 3.6 imapd
>distributed with Pine).
>
>The Pine technical notes contain instructions on the use of one such format,
>tenex, which originated on the old Tenex systems and was later carried over to
>Unix with the MM mailer.  In addition to tenex, the UW imapd also supports MH,
>MTX (like tenex, but with CRLF newlines instead of LF newlines -- this is
>strictly compatible with the old Tenex/TOPS-20 systems as well as with PC Pine
>on DOS and Windows), MBX (an advanced successor to MTX, with full IMAP4
>capability), and MX (an advanced successor to MH, with full IMAP4 capability).

My questions are as follows:

Currently, I'm running  qmail as my MTA. Is there any way to get qmail
to convert incoming mail to one of the above listed formats that will
handle multiple simultaneous access or will I need to change my MTA?
If I need to change my MDA, where can I find one that can handle any
of the above listed formats that will handle multiple simultaneous
access? Are there any IMAP clients for Windows with a "pretty
interface" for the people to use that will understand any of the above
format?  Is there possibly a better IMAPD and/or system to use
overall? My key needs in order of priority are: efficient/effective
MTA, auto-responder capabilities depending on message header/content,
multiple remote simultaneous access, and "pretty interface" mail
client.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
							-steelrat

---

From: Nancy McGough <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Sep 1996 12:56:37 -0400

>multiple remote simultaneous access, and "pretty interface" mail

I, and probably others, would also like to know this.
Please post responses to this question.

Thanks much,
Nancy

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