RFC 1064 (rfc1064) - Page 2 of 26
Interactive Mail Access Protocol: Version 2
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 1064 IMAP2 July 1988 facilities to do this. However, this approach has several disadvantages: (1) Workstations (especially Lisp workstations) have a software design that gives full control of all aspects of the system to the user at the console. As a result, background tasks, like receiving mail, could well be kept from running for long periods of time either because the user is asking to use all of the machine's resources, or because, in the course of working, the user has (perhaps accidentally) manipulated the environment in such a way as to prevent mail reception. This could lead to repeated failed delivery attempts by outside agents. (2) The hardware failure of a single workstation could keep its user "off the air" for a considerable time, since repair of individual workstation units might be delayed. Given the growing number of workstations spread throughout office environments, quick repair would not be assured, whereas a centralized mainframe is generally repaired very soon after failure. (3) It is more difficult to keep track of mailing addresses when each person is associated with a distinct machine. Consider the difficulty in keeping track of a large number of postal addresses or phone numbers, particularly if there was no single address or phone number for an organization through which you could reach any person in that organization. Traditionally, electronic mail on the ARPANET involved remembering a name and one of several "hosts" (machines) whose name reflected the organization in which the individual worked. This was suitable at a time when most organizations had only one central host. It is less satisfactory today unless the concept of a host is changed to refer to an organizational entity and not a particular machine. (4) It is very difficult to keep a multitude of heterogeneous workstations working properly with complex mailing protocols, making it difficult to move forward as progress is made in electronic communication and as new standards emerge. Each system has to worry about receiving incoming mail, routing and delivering outgoing mail, formatting, storing, and providing for the stability of mailboxes over a variety of possible filing and mailing protocols. Consequently, while the workstation may be viewed as an Internet host in the sense that it implements IP, it should not be viewed as the entity which contains the user's mailbox. Rather, a mail server machine (sometimes called a "repository") should hold the mailbox, and the workstation (hereafter referred to as a "client") should access the mailbox via mail transactions. Because the mail server Crispin
