In article <9310211739.AA29665@toad.com>, peter honeyman <honey@citi.umich.edu> wrote: : i think you want to check out rfc 821, which describes smtp. I'll make a stronger statement. Do not run a remailer or other network service unless you have read and understood the relevant RFCs. Furthermore, don't start anything up for general use unless you are a mail/Usenet/networking guru or you have checked with someone that is. Finally, when you do first start your service watch it carefully and continuously. Lose sleep until you're _sure_ it is working according to your expectations. Though the Internet is relatively robust, it is far from completely so. And various parts of the net are not the Internet. Things don't always work the way you would expect and only people who have been around for awhile have much of a clue as to what really is going on. Reading the references and checking with knowledgable people is essential if you aren't to do something stupid that will get people pissed and might get you ostracized. And when, as most likely will happen sooner or later, something you do does blow up in your face, you'll only be being a pain in the ass instead of an ignorant and willful pain in the ass. :-) Believe me, it will make a big difference in dealing with your faux pas if you have made the attempt to do the right thing.