Email Server/Router for slow link or multiple slow links to the internet.

[Eric S. Johansson]

Kipton Moravec wrote:
> This is probably more of a Linux question than a Ubuntu question so
> hopefully someone knows the answer.
> 
> I am setting up a Ubuntu server for emergency communications for
> disaster relief.
> 
> I want to be able to set it up so people can send email to friends and
> relatives telling them that they are all right and where they are. It
> may be setup in temporary shelters for example.
> 
> The problem is that while we may have WiFi locally (attached to my
> server), we may not have a good Internet connection. The options for
> sending email are Amateur Radio VHF/UHF (up to 9600 baud), HF (1200
> baud), or D-Star (4800 or 128K baud) or any of the traditional ways of
> hooking to the Internet if available, like phone lines, cell phone,
> satellite connection, or anything else we can find on site that will
> make a connection.
> 
> Most of them connect using serial ports, and some like D-Star have
> Ethernet connections.
> 
> I want to make it easy for people to hook up to my server with their
> laptop, send a plain text email, and have the server queue it for the
> best way (or next way) out (if we have multiple paths). That way when
> they are done typing their email, the next person in line can do it. And
> the email will be queued on a server with more reliable power. 
> 
> We do not want them trying to browse the Internet, because we don't have
> the bandwidth which is the other reason we want to go through a server.
> 
> What server programs do I need to learn for queuing outgoing email and
> routing it out an available port. Is it one program, or a combination of
> programs? 

look to the past.  What you are describing, and what everybody has been missing 
in the ECOM amateur radio circles is that you don't need TCP/IP or its 
equivalent to transmit e-mail.  Something like the UUCP (very large blocks, very 
few acknowledgments) would be perfect.  The reason I say this is because amateur 
radio does not lend itself to routed traffic.  It's best suited for 
point-to-point traffic.  UUCP is point-to-point.  You can get the net effect of 
routing traffic by relaying messages between points.  The only problem is 
addressing and  bang addressing had gone so far out of style that most people 
don't understand that when I tell folks my  one of my first e-mail addresses was 
...!ihnp4!wang7!harvee!esj

you could probably build some form of domain name or simple one hop to the 
Internet type transit data into your e-mail environment so that users don't have 
to see anything weird.

So, look at UUCP.  It's probably extremely close if not exactly what you need.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kip