Email Server

[Killswitch]

Hey,

I want to code a SMTP Email Server in PureBasic. I know this will probally be hard, but hey I'm willing to try. I've got a few questions:

1) Will I need to perform a DNS lookup? If so how?
2) Are there any examples of Email Servers out there that I can have a look at?
3) How do I actually send the email to someone? (What's the protcol/setup for this?).

Thanks a lot in advance,

Peter Marsh

[dagcrack]

1) Will I need to perform a DNS lookup? If so how?

Yes, you'll need to perform DNS lookups
How?, well thats like asking us to programm the server for you , but theres a winsocket lib out there that "might" help you.


2) Are there any examples of Email Servers out there that I can have a look at?


I dont think that "full SMTP servers", just examples of using existant smtp servers for sending emails (which WILL help you as you have no idea of the smtp protocol and at the time to send emails you'll need said examples). Although there might be a server example out there.. I couldnt tell, I remember that there was none an year ago.


3) How do I actually send the email to someone? (What's the protcol/setup for this?).


The protocol? you just said it.. is SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol...)
Read about it here:

Overview: http://www.freesoft.org/CIE/Topics/94.htm
Protocol documentation: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc0821.txt
More about the protocol: http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2821.html
More: http://cr.yp.to/smtp.html


Also.. notice that some ISPs are blocking their customers (not users, CUSTOMERS... they say "users" but yeh, you pay for the service, so you're a customer not a user.. heck!!) are blocking port 25 for outgoing packets and all that kind of stuff, simply because theres tards out there spamming their lifes for selling their used viagra. And we, the nice guys cant host an smtp server anymore, at least not with out messing with your ISP with various phone calls, even a formal letter..... although on some cases this is null, no limits yet on some countries / providers. Just an ADVICE (not an "advance" ! ).


I would personally like to see a fully featured "mailer daemon" made in PureBasic, and for free hehe.

[Pantcho!!]

lets say you can aacomplish what dagcrack says you also need to be able
to make the server handle meny users at a time that means Threading
and Threading in purebasic with network commands is pretty hard.

[dracflamloc]

I recommend for efficiency reasons that you use the API for networking.

[dagcrack]

Pantcho: Maybe he wont be programming the next mailer daemon, with this I mean that he might want to do this for fun, practice .. or just for handling a low amount of daily traffic for his own emails.

Although I hope he isnt trying to make a spamming tool I'll personally throw you a fruit (filled up with C1) and let a monkey handle the detonator for me, if thats true

dracflamloc: Maybe he wants to prove that its possible with the PB network lib?

[Killswitch]

I can truely say I do not intend to write a spamming tool! I get enough spam emails from 'South Africa' promising me millions for zilich to even consider adding to the problem.

On a side note, do spammers ever get spam?

I'd just like to ee if I can do it!

So, do I accept an email via SMTP then connect to another server (by doing a DNS lookup on the bit after '@') then use SMTP to send the email there?

(Basically?)