4.5 TCP/IP Link: Inbound Transfer from the Internet Successful

This message flow diagram illustrates how inbound message flow from the Internet through the GroupWise directory structure to the GroupWise recipient. The link between the Internet Agent and the MTA for the recipient’s domain is a TCP/IP link.

Figure 4-5 Message Flow in From the Internet

Table 4-5 Message Flow in From the Internet Stages

Stage

Actor

Action

Internet Agent for Recipient’s Domain

An Internet user sends a message to a GroupWise user. The Internet Agent receives the message from the external Internet host and places the message file in the wpgate\gwia\receive directory.

Internet Agent for Recipient’s Domain

The Internet Agent polls the receive directory according to the Idle Sleep Duration setting on the Gateway Time Settings page of the Internet Agent object in ConsoleOne. It picks up the message file, converts it to GroupWise format, and places a copy in the wpgate\gwia\wpcsin\0-7 directory, where 0-7 is one of the priority subdirectories from 0-7. The Internet Agent puts messages only in the 4 directory, used for normal priority messages.

Internet Agent for Recipient’s Domain

The Internet Agent then communicates the message to the MTA for the recipient’s domain by way of TCP/IP. When the transmission is successful, it deletes the copy in the in the wpgate\gwia\wpcsin\0-7 directory.

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 determines which post office in the domain the recipient is located in, then moves the message to that post office’s hold queue (mslocal\mshold\postx\0-7).

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 file) corresponding to the one assigned to the sender.

  • Creates a pointer in the recipient’s user database (userxxx.db file), so the 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 recipient lists larger than 2 KB are also handled as attachments.)

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.