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

From: Dave Crocker <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:13:20 -0500

At 04:54 PM 5/31/2002 -0700, [email-masked] wrote:
>General network-wide email facilities need store and forward. But nothing
>prevents you from setting up a special SMTP link just for EDI that bypasses
>general email facilities. Such a system is only constrained by the
>characteristics of single-hop SMTP, not by the characteristics of what's
>deployed elsewhere.
>
>Lots of email software exists that can be configured this way.

Ned is making a key point that is frequently missed, when worrying about 
the performance of a serice.   The underlying technology, like the 
protocol, is of course a major factor, but the way the service provisioned 
and equally important.  The fact that current email service gives a certain 
range of performance does not prevent configuring a collection of servers 
for much better performance.

It is possible to sub-second delivery times, if configuration, MTA hardware 
and network packet service permit it.

>I've always found the notion of a delivery guarantee somewhat amusing. in the
>final analysis nothing can actually make such a guarantee.

Hence the term really means that the provider will guarantee to a 
percentage likelihood that service will match the specified performance.

What is significant, to me, is not that they cannot agree to perfection but 
that whatever they agree to be better than the non-guaranteed average that 
folks are already experiencing.

d/

----------
Dave Crocker <mailto:[email-masked]>
TribalWise, Inc. <http://www.tribalwise.com>
tel +1.408.246.8253; fax +1.408.850.1850