Alternate Link Configuration: Transfer Pull

This message flow diagram illustrates how a GroupWise message travels from one user to another when the domains are connected by a transfer pull configuration.


Message flow using a transfer pull configuration
Stage Icon Description

Stage 1
Sender

User icon

The user sends a message to recipients in a post office in a different domain.

In this diagram, the delivery mode setting for the local post office is Use App Thresholds and the threshold is not exceeded.

Stage 2
Sender's
GroupWise
Client

Client icon

The GroupWise client performs the following actions for the sender:

  • Adds the message to the message database (msgnn.db) assigned to the sender.
  • Creates a pointer in the sender's user database (userxxx.db) so the message appears in the sender's mailbox as a sent item.
  • Places attachments larger than 2 KB in the post_office\offiles\fd0-f6 subdirectory assigned to the sender and creates pointers from the message to its attachments. (For database efficiency, messages and distribution lists larger than 2 KB are also handled as attachments.)
  • Creates a copy of the message in the appropriate priority 0-7 subdirectory of the MTA input queue in the sender's post office.

If client/server mode were in effect for the post office, these actions would be performed by the POA instead of the GroupWise client. See Access Mode: Client/Server.

Stage 3
MTA for
Sender's
Domain

MTA icon

For mapped and UNC links, the MTA scans its input queue in each post office for messages to process. You can control the rate at which the MTA scans its input queues. See "Adjusting MTA Polling of Input Queues in the Domain and Post Offices" in "Message Transfer Agent" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide.

When it detects a new message, the MTA picks up the message from the sender's post office and transfers it to the MTA "in progress" (gwinprog) queue. From there, the MTA for the sender's domain would normally transfer the message to the output queue in the recipient's domain. However, in this transfer pull configuration, the MTA for the sender's domain does not have access to the recipient's domain. Therefore, the MTA for the sender's domain transfers the message into the appropriate priority 0-7 subdirectory in the transfer directory in its own domain. It is now the job of the MTA for the recipient's domain to pick up (or 'pull') the message from the sender's domain to the recipient's domain.

See "Using a Transfer Pull Configuration" in "Message Transfer Agent" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide.

Stage 4
MTA for
Recipient's
Domain

MTA icon

The MTA for the recipient's domain polls its input queue in the local domain and any transfer directories in other domains. The transfer pull configuration is the only situation where an MTA scans directories outside its own directory structure.

When it detects a new message in a transfer directory of another domain, the MTA picks up (or "pulls") the message from the other domain and transfers it to the MTA "in progress" (gwinprog) queue. From there, the MTA for the recipient's domain transfers the message to the output queue in the recipient's post office. The MTA output queue is the input queue for the POA in the recipient's post office.

Stage 5
POA for
Recipient's
Post Office

POA icon

The POA polls its input queue regularly. When it detects a new message, the POA in the recipient's post office performs the following actions:

  • Adds the message to the message database (msgnn.db) corresponding to the one assigned to the sender.
  • Creates a pointer in the recipient's user database (userxxx.db) so the new message appears in the recipient's mailbox and updates the notification information in the user database so the recipient can be notified of the message.
  • Places attachments larger than 2 KB in the post_office\offiles\fd0-f6 subdirectory corresponding to the one assigned to the sender and creates pointers from the message to its attachments. (For database efficiency, messages and distribution lists larger than 2 KB are also handled as attachments.)
  • Creates a Delivered status message in the appropriate priority 0-7 subdirectory of the MTA input queue in the recipient's post office.

Stage 6
Recipient's
GroupWise
Client

Client icon

The Notify component of the recipient's GroupWise client notifies the recipient that a new message has arrived.

Stage 7
Recipient

User icon

Each recipient opens the message in the GroupWise client.

Stage 8
Recipient's
GroupWise
Client

Client icon

Each recipient's GroupWise client creates an Opened status message in the appropriate priority 0-7 subdirectory of the MTA input queue in the recipient's post office.

Stage 9
MTA for
Recipient's
Domain

MTA icon

For mapped and UNC links, the MTA scans its input queue in each post office for messages to process. You can control the rate at which the MTA scans its input queues. See "Adjusting MTA Polling of Input Queues in the Domain and Post Offices" in "Message Transfer Agent" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide.

When it detects the status message, the MTA picks it up from the recipient's post office and transfers it to the MTA "in progress" (gwinprog) queue. From there the MTA in the recipient's domain transfers the status message to the output queue in the sender's domain.

Stage 10
MTA for
Sender's
Domain

MTA icon

The MTA in the sender's domain also polls its domain input queues. When it detects the status message, the MTA in the sender's domain picks it up and transfers it to its output queue in the sender's post office. The MTA output queue is the input queue for the POA in the sender's post office.

Stage 11
POA for
Sender's
Post Office

POA icon

The POA in the sender's post office updates the sender's message database (MSGnn.DB) with the Delivered status information (and possibly Opened as well if the recipient has opened the message).

Stage 12
Sender

User icon

When the sender checks the sent items in his or her mailbox in the GroupWise client, the message displays a status of Delivered for each recipient (and possibly Opened as well if the recipient has opened the message).