    Announcing: Squirrel Mail Server Software, version 3.1
    ======================================================

For the user:
-------------
The Squirrel Mail Server is a mail response program. You can send
email to it, and it will try to react sensible to your message.

Main purpose of the mail server is to obtain files from a local
archive or FTP servers. It is also possible to search for files and to
generate directory listings. A powerful index mechanism obsoletes the
need to transfer huge "ls-lR" files.

While looking for files, the server knows about commonly used
extensions to filenames (e.g. ".tar.Z" in "foo.tar.Z") and pseudo-
standard version numbering (e.g. "gcc-2.1.tar.Z").  It is quite well
possible that a simple request for "emacs" will actually transmit the
file "gnu/emacs-18/dist/emacs-18.59.tar.Z".

Delivery of information can take place via email or UUCP or both.
Files are compressed if possible, encoded if necessary, and split into
pieces if needed. If a transfer fails, it it always possible to
request retransmission of the failed parts only.

For the implementor:
--------------------
All written in perl, hence portable and easily maintainable.  Code is
readable; useful, plentiful comments. Very extentable and easily
modified. Easy to install. Over 2000 lines of documentation.

Archives can be split over a number of directories or file systems.

Requests are queued and processed by a separate daemon process (e.g.
from cron) to cut down on the system load. Moreover, the implementor
can control when the queue is being run.

All transfers are logged. Maintenance procedures include a reporting
tool.

Files retrieved via FTP are kept on local store for some time, so
subsequent requests can be honoured from the cache.

Requirements:
-------------
Perl 4.0 patchlevel 35 or later.
NOTE that perl 4.0 pl35 contains a bug that can be fixed by an
(unofficial) patch obtainable from the NLUUG mail server -- see below.

GNU find 3.6 or later (only if you want to exploit the index
features).

A decent mail system that can deliver mail to a process (sendmail,
smail3, or smail2.5 w/ mods).

Common tools like compress, zoo, zip, uuencode etc.

How to get it:
--------------
Send a mail message to <mail-server@nluug.nl> with contents

    begin
    send mserv-3.1.tar.Z
    send XPatch-4.035.tar.Z
    end

The latter file contains some unofficial patches to perl 4.0
patchlevel 35.

Also available are nicely formatted PostScript versions of the 
User Guide and Installation Guide:

    send usrguide.ps.Z
    send mservmgr.ps.Z

The Squirrel Mail Server Software is 

    Copyright 1988,1992,1993 Johan Vromans.

It is distributed under the terms of the GNU Public Licence.

For more information: Johan Vromans <jv@mh.nl> .
