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diff --git a/RFC/rfc1892.txt b/RFC/rfc1892.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c4bdbd5f --- /dev/null +++ b/RFC/rfc1892.txt @@ -0,0 +1,227 @@ + + + + + + +Network Working Group G. Vaudreuil +Request for Comments: 1892 Octel Network Services +Category: Standards Track January 1996 + + + The Multipart/Report Content Type + for the Reporting of + Mail System Administrative Messages + +Status of this Memo + + This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the + Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for + improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet + Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state + and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. + +1. The Multipart/Report MIME content-type + + The Multipart/Report MIME content-type is a general "family" or + "container" type for electronic mail reports of any kind. Although + this memo defines only the use of the Multipart/Report content-type + with respect to delivery status reports, mail processing programs + will benefit if a single content-type is used to for all kinds of + reports. + + The Multipart/Report content-type is defined as follows: + + MIME type name: multipart + MIME subtype name: report + Required parameters: boundary, report-type + Optional parameters: none + Encoding considerations: 7bit should always be adequate + Security considerations: see section 4 of this memo. + + The syntax of Multipart/Report is identical to the Multipart/Mixed + content type defined in [MIME]. When used to send a report, the + Multipart/Report content-type must be the top-level MIME content type + for any report message. The report-type parameter identifies the + type of report. The parameter is the MIME content sub-type of the + second body part of the Multipart/Report. + + User agents and gateways must be able to automatically determine + that a message is a mail system report and should be processed as + such. Placing the Multipart/Report as the outermost content + provides a mechanism whereby an auto-processor may detect through + parsing the RFC 822 headers that the message is a report. + + + + +Vaudreuil Standards Track [Page 1] + +RFC 1892 Multipart/Report January 1996 + + + The Multipart/Report content-type contains either two or three sub- + parts, in the following order: + + (1) [required] The first body part contains human readable message. + The purpose of this message is to provide an easily-understood + description of the condition(s) that caused the report to be + generated, for a human reader who may not have an user agent + capable of interpreting the second section of the + Multipart/Report. + + The text in the first section may be in any MIME standards-track + content-type, charset, or language. Where a description of the + error is desired in several languages or several media, a + Multipart/Alternative construct may be used. + + This body part may also be used to send detailed information + that cannot be easily formatted into a Message/Report body part. + + (2) [required] A machine parsable body part containing an account + of the reported message handling event. The purpose of this body + part is to provide a machine-readable description of the + condition(s) which caused the report to be generated, along with + details not present in the first body part that may be useful to + human experts. An initial body part, Message/delivery-status is + defined in [DSN] + + (3) [optional] A body part containing the returned message or a + portion thereof. This information may be useful to aid human + experts in diagnosing problems. (Although it may also be useful + to allow the sender to identify the message which the report was + issued, it is hoped that the envelope-id and original-recipient- + address returned in the Message/Report body part will replace + the traditional use of the returned content for this purpose.) + + Return of content may be wasteful of network bandwidth and a variety + of implementation strategies can be used. Generally the sender + should choose the appropriate strategy and inform the recipient of + the required level of returned content required. In the absence of + an explicit request for level of return of content such as that + provided in [DRPT], the agent which generated the delivery service + report should return the full message content. + + When data not encoded in 7 bits is to be returned, and the return + path is not guaranteed to be 8-bit capable, two options are + available. The origional message MAY be reencoded into a legal 7 bit + MIME message or the Text/RFC822-Headers content-type MAY be used to + return only the origional message headers. + + + + +Vaudreuil Standards Track [Page 2] + +RFC 1892 Multipart/Report January 1996 + + +2. The Text/RFC822-Headers MIME content-type + + The Text/RFC822-Headers MIME content-type provides a mechanism to + label and return only the RFC 822 headers of a failed message. These + headers are not the complete message and should not be returned as a + Message/RFC822. The returned headers are useful for identifying the + failed message and for diagnostics based on the received: lines. + + The Text/RFC822-Headers content-type is defined as follows: + + MIME type name: Text + MIME subtype name: RFC822-Headers + Required parameters: None + Optional parameters: none + Encoding considerations: 7 bit is sufficient for normal RFC822 + headers, however, if the headers are broken and require + encoding, they may be encoded in quoted-printable. + Security considerations: see section 4 of this memo. + + The Text/RFC822-headers body part should contain all the RFC822 + header lines from the message which caused the report. The RFC822 + headers include all lines prior to the blank line in the message. + They include the MIME-Version and MIME Content- headers. + +3. References + + [DSN] Moore, K., and G. Vaudreuil, "An Extensible Message Format for + Delivery Status Notifications", RFC 1894, University of + Tennessee, Octel Network Services, January 1996. + + [RFC822] Crocker, D., "Standard for the format of ARPA Internet Text + Messages", STD 11, RFC 822, UDEL, August 1982. + + [MIME] Borenstein, N., and N. Freed, "Multipurpose Internet Mail + Extensions", RFC 1521, Bellcore, Innosoft, June 1992. + + [DRPT] Moore, K., "SMTP Service Extension for Delivery Status + Notifications", RFC 1891, University of Tennessee, January 1996. + +4. Security Considerations + + Automated use of report types without authentication presents several + security issues. Forging negative reports presents the opportunity + for denial-of-service attacks when the reports are used for automated + maintenance of directories or mailing lists. Forging positive + reports may cause the sender to incorrectly believe a message was + delivered when it was not. + + + + +Vaudreuil Standards Track [Page 3] + +RFC 1892 Multipart/Report January 1996 + + +5. Author's Address + + Gregory M. Vaudreuil + Octel Network Services + 17060 Dallas Parkway + Dallas, TX 75248-1905 + + Phone: +1-214-733-2722 + EMail: Greg.Vaudreuil@Octel.com + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Vaudreuil Standards Track [Page 4] + |