message transfer agent


Message Transfer Agent

(messaging)(MTA, Mail Transfer Agent) Any program responsiblefor delivering e-mail messages. Upon receiving a messagefrom a Mail User Agent or another MTA, often by SMTP overthe Internet, it stores it temporarily locally and analysesthe recipients and delivers it to any local addressees and/orforwards it to other remote MTAs (routing) for delivery toremote recipients. In either case it may edit and/or add tothe message headers.

The most widely used MTA for Unix is sendmail, whichcommunicates using SMTP.

RFC 2821 (SMTP) expands MTA as "Mail Transfer Agent" thoughthis is less common. Alternatives with "Transport" are alsoseen but less correct.

message transfer agent

The store and forward capability in a messaging system. See messaging system.