Re: How do I send EDI file securely over Internet via FTP or HTTP S?

From:           	"Pae Choi" <[email protected]>
[RE: SMTP/email]
> Of course, that is why it's called "Store-&-Forward" mechanism.
> But it does not guarantee "How soon it will get there!"

Store-and-Forward comes from the old days when people had dialup 
modems. The best guarantee is to deliver directly without forwarding. 
Of course, if you want to send a message but can't reach another 
server you have a problem-- same as if you used http/ftp

I wonder why spammers are the only ones to figure this out. The 
tragedy is that a good way to get rid of junk mail is to delete mail that 
doesn't appear to be store-and-forward.

> Maybe we need new email service that guarantee the delivery
> within a given time, e.g., Fedex or UPS style guarantee delivery. :-)

You can use Fedex to send a package to your neighbor, but it's more 
reliable to walk over and give it to them personally. Same for smtp 
email.

I suppose there could be a business that runs high availabliity, 
geographically isolated redundant servers that can perform an assured 
delivery with store and forward if needed, plus archiving. In theory it 
could be more reliable than your own computer, which could crash and 
corrupt it's files. But a backup-only service is just as good and maybe 
better in some ways.
...
> > Ever received an email 30 days later than sent?

No, but I've received very delayed email, as have friends. At least I've 
received it!

Ever tried accessing a web site and got a connection timed out?

The real issue is how do you deal with the situation when a direct 
delivery can't be made.