JP3761028B2 - Mail server and its program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to a mail server, and more particularly to a mail server that can complement an incomplete mail address input by a user with a complete mail address.
[0002]
[Prior art]
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-215524
Patent Document 1 discloses that when a destination name not including an @ mark is input by a user, a domain name to which the user belongs is added. As a result, the user can omit the input of the domain name within the same domain.
[0005]
As described in Patent Document 1, it is a burden on the user to completely enter the mail address in the header of the e-mail. This is because, for example, the e-mail address must be entered using alphanumeric characters with a large number of digits. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to complement the mail address not only in the same domain but also by e-mail to other domains.
[0006]
[Problems of the Invention]
An object of the present invention is to make it possible to complement an e-mail address even in an e-mail to another domain so that a user can easily input an address (claims 1 to 5).
An additional problem in the inventions of claims 3 and 5 is to protect the security between users regarding the mail transmission destination and to avoid confusion even when there are similar destination names.
[0007]
[Structure of the invention]
This invention provides a mail server to transfer the received e-mail to the appropriate e-mail address, a table for converting the destination name of the electronic mail to the mail address, and a means for referencing create, update, and When an e-mail having a complete e-mail address as a destination is received, the e-mail address is added to the table with the portion on the left side of @ in the address as a destination name, and the received e-mail is added to the e-mail. Means is provided for transferring the destination name in the mail address converted by referring to the table (claim 1).
[0008]
Preferably, in the table creating / updating / referencing means, when an e-mail in which a destination including two @ is received is received, a portion between @ in the destination is used as a destination name, and a portion between @ An e-mail address in which is omitted is added to the table.
Preferably, the table is provided separately for each local user of the sender in the LAN to which the mail server is connected. The table is provided for each user of the sender ( claim 3 ).
[0009]
The present invention also provides an instruction for creating / updating a table for converting an e-mail destination name to a mail address in a program for a mail server for transferring a received e-mail to a corresponding mail address. And when receiving an e-mail in which a complete e-mail address is described as a destination, the e-mail address is added to the table with the portion on the left side of @ in the address as the destination name, and the destination in the received e-mail The program is for a mail server that includes a command for converting a name into a mail address by referring to the table (claim 4).
Preferably, the creation and update instruction of the table, for each local user of the sender in the LAN to which the mail server is connected, Ru provided by dividing the table (claim 5).
[0010]
In this specification, “for each user” means for each user as one user or as a group of a plurality of people. Further, when a table for complementing addresses is provided for destination names made up of users in the domain, this table may be combined with a table for address conversion to destinations outside the domain.
[0011]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
By using the mail server or mail server program of the present invention, an e-mail can be transferred to a destination outside the domain by obtaining a mail address from the table. For this reason, the user does not need to input a complete mail address in the e-mail, and the user's address input becomes simple (claims 1 to 5).
[0012]
Here, as in the invention of claim 2, when an e-mail in which a destination including two @ is described is received, a portion between @ in the destination is defined as a destination name, and a portion between @ is omitted. When an e-mail address is added to the table, an e-mail address can be added to the table using any abbreviation between the @ and @ as an entry word (destination name) . For this reason, in addition to adding a domain name etc. to a part of the mailbox name of the email address to complement the email address to a complete one, it can be converted to a complete email address from any abbreviation selected by the user. . This makes it easier to input addresses.
[0013]
In addition, if the conversion table for mail addresses is provided for each sender user, fraud such as access to the mail address of another user's transmission destination becomes difficult, and security between users is improved. Further, even when the address conversion table is created by using the same destination name for different mail addresses among users, confusion does not occur (claims 3 and 5).
[0014]
【Example】
1 to 6 show an embodiment and its modifications. In these figures, 2 is a LAN, and 4 is a mail client of a personal computer, for example. 6 is a mail server and 8 is the Internet. The mail server 6 includes a list 10 of local users, which is a list describing a destination name, a mail address and an IP address, and other attributes of the client for the mail client 4 in the LAN 2, for example. An address conversion table 12 is provided for each mail client 4 or for each group of mail clients 4. The address conversion table 12 is a table in which a complete mail address including a domain name is described for an arbitrary destination name including a part of a mail address, and an IP address may be described in addition to this. The address conversion table 12 is managed by the mail server 6 and can be created, updated, and referenced via the mail server 6. Reference numeral 14 denotes an address conversion table management program.
[0015]
When there are a plurality of mail servers in the LAN 2, the local user list 10, the address conversion table 12, and the table management program 14 are not provided in each mail server 6 but between the plurality of mail servers 6, 6 ′. You may share with. Reference numeral 16 denotes an LDAP server. When the resources such as the address conversion table 12 are shared between the mail servers 6 and 6 ′, these resources are stored. The mail servers 6 and 6 ′ and the like store the LDAP (Write Directory Access Protocol) refers to the list 10 and the table 12 in the server 16.
[0016]
FIG. 2 shows an example of the address conversion table 12. The header column on the left side is a destination name, and the right side is a mail address corresponding to the destination name. When the destination name is limited to the left side of @ in the mail address, only the domain name may be stored instead of storing the entire mail address. In the table 12, for example, the domain name “xyz.com” below @ is supplemented to the destination name “abc”, and the complete mail address “abc@xyz.com” is supplemented. Also, the domain name “muratec.co.jp” is complemented to the destination name “murata”. The address name is not limited to the left side of the email address, but may be a part of the email address or a word that is not included in the email address. For example, for "ichiro_tanaka", a part of "tanaka" may be used as the destination name.
[0017]
FIG. 3 shows a mail server transfer algorithm. When receiving the electronic mail (step 1), the mail server 6 checks whether the domain name exists in the destination name (step 2). If the domain name does not exist, it checks whether the destination is a local user (step). 3). Whether the user is a local user is checked by checking whether the destination name is described in the local user list 10 or the like. In the case of a local user, the mail server 6 can directly transmit without going through another mail server. An IP address is obtained from the local user list 10 and transmitted to the IP address of the local user (step 4).
[0018]
When the destination name is not described in the local user list but is described in the address conversion table (step 5), the destination name is converted into a mail address by using the address conversion table 12 (step 6). If the destination name is not described in the local user list or the address conversion table, the domain name cannot be complemented, and error processing is performed in step 8. For this process, reply to the local user who sent the e-mail, add a comment such as "Destination address is unknown", so that it can be resent at another address, or forward to the administrator Etc. When the domain name exists in the destination name (step 2) or when the domain name or the mail address is supplemented (step 6), an e-mail is transmitted to a predetermined mail address in step 7.
[0019]
FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the address conversion table in more detail. For example, the local user list 10 is one list, and the address conversion table 12 is a table divided for each user. The first purpose of classifying the table 12 for each user is to keep the security between users by not knowing the transmission addresses of other users' e-mails. The second purpose is to prevent confusion when there are destinations with the same destination name and different mail addresses in the address conversion table 12. The address conversion table 12 is created for each user, and when the user sends an e-mail to a destination in another domain, a new address name and e-mail address record can be added. You can edit, update, and delete tables all at once.
[0020]
FIG. 5 schematically shows addition of a record to the address conversion table and address complementation. In the example of FIG. 5, @ is used to distinguish whether the destination is a local user or another user, and when there is no @, it is determined that the destination is a local user. When a complete e-mail address is input, in principle, the destination name and e-mail address are added to the address conversion table with the portion on the left side of @ as the destination name. Here, when the user likes a rule other than using the left side of @ as the destination name, for example, a rule such that @ is continued twice and a word sandwiched between them is used as the destination name is used. This uses the reserved word "@" for the address in the email header,
(1) Whether it is a local user or other user,
(2) Whether the part on the left side of @ is added to the address conversion table as the destination name, or is added with the destination name specified by the user,
Is described.
[0021]
For example, if the destination name is "sakita", since there is no @, the domain name is complemented by referring to the local user list, and an e-mail is sent. In the case of "yoji@abc.com", since it is one complete mail address as seen from the @ position, "yoji" is added to the address conversion table with "yoji" as the destination name. To do. If another e-mail address already exists in the address conversion table for the destination name "yoji", the e-mail is sent from the mail server to the client that sent another e-mail address to "yoji". "I didn't add to".
[0022]
In the case of "yoichi_tanaka @ yoichi @ klm.com", the user wants to register the address translation table with "yoichi" between @ and @ as the headword, that is, "yoichi" as the destination name. It is interpreted as In this way, the user can register a mail address with an arbitrary destination name (headword) regardless of the mail address itself, and can register with a destination name that the user can easily remember. If "yoichi @ yoichi_tanaka @ klm.com" is not in the address translation table, add this record and forward the problem email to "yoichi_tanaka@klm.com". In this way, the address conversion table is maintained. From the next time, when an e-mail is sent to the mail server with the destination name "yoji @", the e-mail address "yoji@abc.com" is referenced by referring to the address conversion table. Can be transferred to. When the destination name “yoichi @” is transmitted, it can be transferred to “yoichi_tanaka@klm.com” by referring to the address conversion table. The destination name in the address conversion table does not need to be part of the email address. For example, in the case of "horita @ pqr @ pqr.com", "pqr" is used as the destination name and converted to "horita@pqr.com" Add a record to the address translation table.
[0023]
In the address conversion table, a plurality of mail addresses may be associated with one destination name. For example, if the mail address "yoji@abc.com" is associated with "konishi@abc.com" and "tamura@xyz.com" for the address name "yoji", one address name "yoji" is entered. As a result, broadcast communication to “yoji@abc.com”, “konishi@abc.com”, and “tamura@xyz.com” is possible.
[0024]
FIG. 6 shows an example of the table management program 14. This program is composed of four processes 21 to 24, and an address conversion table creation process 21 creates an address conversion table for each local user. The address conversion table reference process 22 refers to the address conversion table with the destination name in the received electronic mail and performs a process for obtaining the mail address. In the address conversion table automatic addition process 23, as shown in FIG. 5, for the e-mail from the local user in which the complete mail address is described, the destination name determined as shown in FIG. And email address records are added to the address conversion table. In the address conversion table editing / input / output process 24, the address conversion table for each user is edited, for example, records are added or deleted, input / output is performed, and for example, the address conversion table is used for printing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an operating environment of a mail server according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an address conversion table used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a mail address complement algorithm in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that an address conversion table is provided for each user in the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a destination name assigned by the user, reference to the address conversion table, addition of a record, and after completion in the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an address conversion table management program used in the embodiment.
2 LAN
4 Mail Client 6 Mail Server 8 Internet 10 List of Local Users 12 Address Conversion Table 14 Address Conversion Table Management Program 16 LDAP Servers 21-24 Process

Claims (5)

In the mail server for forwarding the received email to the corresponding email address,
When a table for converting an e-mail destination name to an e-mail address is provided , a means for creating / updating / referring is provided , and an e-mail in which a complete e-mail address is described as a destination is received, from @ in the address Also add the email address to the table with the left part as the destination name,
A mail server comprising means for transferring a received electronic mail to a mail address obtained by converting a destination name in the electronic mail with reference to the table . In the table creation / update / referencing means, when an e-mail with a destination containing two @s is received, the part between the @s in the address is the destination name and the part between the @s is omitted. The mail server according to claim 1 , wherein a mail address is added to the table . 3. The mail server according to claim 1 , wherein the table is provided separately for each local user of a sender in the LAN to which the mail server is connected . In the program for the mail server to forward the received e-mail to the corresponding e-mail address,
When an instruction for creating / updating a table for converting an e-mail destination name to an e-mail address is provided, and an e-mail with a complete e-mail address is received as an address, it is on the left side of @ in the address. Add the email address to the table with the part as the destination name,
A program for a mail server, comprising a command for converting a destination name in a received electronic mail into a mail address by referring to the table. The creation and update instruction of the table, for each local user of the sender in the LAN to which the mail server is connected, characterized in that the so that provided by dividing the table, for the mail server according to claim 4 Program.

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