3.2 TCP/IP Link Closed: Transfer between Domains Delayed

This message flow diagram illustrates how a GroupWise message travels from one user to another when the domains are connected by a TCP/IP link and the link is closed.

Figure 3-2 Message Flow When the TCP/IP Link is Closed

Table 3-2 Message Flow When the TCP/IP Link is Closed Stages

Stage

Icon

Description

Sender

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

In this diagram, the access mode setting for the local post office is Client/Server Only.

Sender’s GroupWise Client

The GroupWise client communicates the message to the POA by way of TCP/IP.

POA for Sender’s Post Office

The POA receives the message from the GroupWise client and performs the following actions for the sender:

  • Adds the message to the message database (msgnnn.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 one of the post_office\offiles\fd0-F6 subdirectories 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, in case the TCP/IP link to the MTA is currently closed.

POA for Sender’s Post Office

The POA then communicates the message to the MTA for the sender’s domain by way of TCP/IP, and deletes the copy in the MTA input queue because the TCP/IP transfer to the MTA was successful.

To see what would happen if the TCP/IP link to the MTA is closed, see Section 2.2, TCP/IP Link Closed: Transfer between Post Offices Delayed.

MTA for Sender’s Domain

The MTA for the sender’s domain receives the message and places it into the MTA “in progress” (gwinprog) queue.

MTA for Sender’s Domain

The MTA for the sender’s domain then attempts to communicate the message to the MTA for the recipient’s domain by way of TCP/IP, but the recipient MTA does not respond. Therefore, the MTA stores the message in its holding queue for the recipient’s domain in the mshold directory.

When the MTA in the recipient’s domain responds again, the MTA for the sender’s domain transfers the delayed message from the domain holding queue to the MTA in the recipient’s domain by way of TCP/IP.

MTA for Recipient’s Domain

The MTA for the recipient’s domain receives the message and places it into the MTA “in progress” (gwinprog) queue.

MTA for Recipient’s Domain

The MTA for the recipient’s domain then communicates the message to the POA in the recipient’s post office by way of TCP/IP.

POA for Recipient’s Post Office

When it receives the new message, the POA for the recipient’s post office performs the following actions:

  • Adds the message to the message database (msgnnn.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 one of the post_office\offiles\fd0-F6 subdirectories 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. It also communicates the Delivered status message directly to the MTA by way of TCP/IP and when that transmission is successful, the copy the MTA input queue is deleted.

POA for Recipient’s Post Office

The POA for the recipient’s post office communicates to the GroupWise client by way of TCP/IP that a new message has arrived.

Recipient’s GroupWise Client

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

Recipient

Each recipient opens the message in the GroupWise client.

Recipient’s GroupWise Client

Each recipient’s GroupWise client communicates the Opened status message to the POA by way of TCP/IP.

POA for Recipient’s Post Office

The POA for the recipient’s post office communicates the status message to the MTA for the recipient’s domain by way of TCP/IP.

MTA for Recipient’s Domain

The MTA for the recipient’s domain places the status message into the “in progress” (gwinprog) queue.

MTA for Recipient’s Domain

The MTA for the recipient’s domain communicates the status message to the MTA for the sender’s domain by way of TCP/IP.

MTA for Sender’s Domain

The MTA for the sender’s domain places the status message into the MTA “in progress” (gwinprog) queue.

MTA for Sender’s Domain

The MTA for the sender’s domain communicates the status message to the POA for the sender’s post office by way of TCP/IP.

POA for Sender’s Post Office

The POA for the sender’s post office updates the sender’s message database (msgnnn.db) with the Delivered status information (and possibly Opened as well if the recipient has opened the message).

POA for Sender’s Post Office

The POA for the sender’s post office communicates the status to the sender’s GroupWise client by way of TCP/IP.

Sender

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).