Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
6.2.6. MULTIPLE MAILBOXES

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6.2.6. MULTIPLE MAILBOXES

6.2.6. MULTIPLE MAILBOXES

An individual may have several mailboxes and wish to receive mail at whatever mailbox is convenient for the sender to access. This standard does not provide a means of specifying "any member of" a list of mailboxes.

A set of individuals may wish to receive mail as a single unit (i.e., a distribution list). The <group> construct permits specification of such a list. Recipient mailboxes are specified within the bracketed part (":" - ";"). A copy of the transmitted message is to be sent to each mailbox listed. This standard does not permit recursive specification of groups within groups.

While a list must be named, it is not required that the contents of the list be included. In this case, the <address> serves only as an indication of group distribution and would appear in the form:

                                    name:;

Some mail services may provide a group-list distribution facility, accepting a single mailbox reference, expanding it to the full distribution list, and relaying the mail to the list's members. This standard provides no additional syntax for indicating such a service. Using the <group> address alternative, while listing one mailbox in it, can mean either that the mailbox reference will be expanded to a list or that there is a group with one member.


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Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
6.2.6. MULTIPLE MAILBOXES