xml-dev - Re: Asynchronous message queue by SMTP&POP3

[John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>]

"John D. Gwinner" wrote:

> We're currently using expat as our C++ parser (well, wrapped C++), but I
> don't really want to have to write a pop3 client if at all possible.
> Haven't researched this *that* much yet.

I recommend that you use the open-source "fetchmail" program, which
fetches messages from POP3 mailboxes and redelivers them locally
using your SMTP daemon, sendmail or qmail or whatever.  You can
deliver to a local alias (in /etc/aliases) which sends everything to
a program; that program just has to strip off the mail headers
and do whatever it likes with the content.

Fetchmail is available from your favorite open-source archive,
or from the home page at http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/fetchmail .

Typical .fetchmailrc config file:

set daemon 600		# poll every 10 minutes, adjust as needed
poll mailserver.yourdomain.com protocol pop3
       user xml-input there, password whatever, is xml-input here

Typical /etc/aliases entry:

xml-input:"|/usr/local/bin/xml-gobbler"

(Don't forget to add the xml-gobbler program to the directory of mail-safe
programs in /usr/adm/sm.bin if you are using smrsh.)

-- 

Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>
Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau,  || http://www.reutershealth.com
Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.            -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)