• Range of solutions available to suit your needs
• Support for Inter-Personal Messaging and Electronic Commerce
• Aids rapid development and reduced cost of implementation
• Message Utilities for local and remote message operations
• Open, portable interfaces available
• X/Open Common Messaging Calls
• X/Open Message Transfer API
• MAPI Desktop Enabler
• Microsoft Simple MAPI
• Sophisticated Route400 Message API
• Available on a very wide range of platforms

The requirements for messaging support can range from applications performing simple submission and reception of basic messages containing program results, files or Electronic Commerce transactions, up to those needing full control of all user interface functions at a level of message integration suitable for application-specific message clients. The NET-TEL products provide a range of approaches based on command line message utilities and application programming interfaces (APIs).

Messages submitted and read using any of the message integration products described in this data sheet are transferred via the Route400 Message Server (Message Transfer Agent or Message Store) to the requested recipients. These may be local users or applications or may be reached through other X.400 messaging services, via gateways to proprietary mail systems (such as cc:Mail, GroupWise, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Mail or Microsoft Exchange), or the Internet.

Depending on the product used, there is specific support for Windows (MAPI Desktop Enabler or Simple MAPI), cross platform support for Windows and UNIX (X/Open CMC), full range UNIX platform support (X/Open MT API) and support for the entire range of Route400 platforms (the Route400 Message Utility set and Message API).

The Range of Route400 Application Developer and Integration Products
In order to meet the disparate requirements of developers of message enabled applications, NET-TEL provides a comprehensive range of powerful approaches.

Message (command line) utilities require no C-language programming skills, nor knowledge of the underlying messaging technology, and can be used to build integrated applications using simple command scripts, forms packages, Visual Basic etc. The Route400 Message Utilities approach is indicated in situations where a rapid development cycle is required and/or where there is limited availability of programming skills. They are ideally suited for straightforward applications.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) require C-language developer skills but avoid the need for knowledge of the Abstract Syntax Notation number One (ASN.1) with its associated Basic Encoding Rules (BER) used in X.400 messaging. Route400 APIs also avoid the developer needing to know about the underlying Route400 file infrastructure and X.400 communication protocols over which the application data is to be transmitted. Route400 APIs are normally used when the application is more sophisticated, potentially to the level of a full messaging user interface.

Use of the X/Open Common Messaging Calls API provides relatively simple messaging facilities while the full X/Open Message Transfer API is very sophisticated but does require greater skill. Route400 X/Open products enable the development of portable, vendor independent messaging applications and allow existing X/Open-based applications to be ported to the Route400 environment. These APIs are available on a wide range of platforms.

The MAPI Desktop Enabler delivers the full benefits of NET-TEL's messaging servers to a wide range of Windows desktop applications, including office, workflow and group scheduling applications.

The Route400 Simple MAPI DLL enables existing Windows Desktop applications from Microsoft and other vendors to be compose and send mail through Route400 message servers.

Finally, The Route400 Message API is aimed at those developers creating mail clients/user agents, access units, gateways, and other message-enabled applications, with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) support, if required, that are designed from the outset to be integrated with a Route400 Message Server (Message Transfer Agent or Message Store). This approach optimally exploits the functionality, performance and flexibility of the Route400 products.

The Route400 message integration products support both file-sharing via a LAN filing system for operation with local Route400 Message Servers and full P7 protocol remote access to X.400 Message Stores from any supplier. Inter-Personal Messaging (X.420/P2) and Electronic Commerce (X.435/Pedi) protocols are supported.

In summary, NET-TEL offers seven classes of support product for developers of message enabled applications:

1. Route400 Message Utility (Command Line) set
2. Route400 X/Open Common Messaging Calls (CMC) API
3. Route400 X/Open Message Transfer API (with Object Management API)
4. Route400 Message API
5. MAPI Desktop Enabler
6. Microsoft Simple MAPI
7. Route400 Address Book API

This range of support product allows application developers to choose the most appropriate method and achieve the required balance of objectives according to such issues as:

• Rapid development and low cost implementation
• Application sophistication and degree of integration required
• Support for messaging, groupware and Electronic Commerce (EC)
• Integration with Microsoft MAPI-based applications
• Programming skills availability
• Vendor independence, use of standards and portability
• Close integration with Route400 and development of sophisticated user/application interfaces

Having selected the most appropriate approach, developers are then able to concentrate on their applications, secure in the knowledge that all the details of data transport, address book management, message encoding and decoding are being handled by a proven and mature product.

Route400 Message Utilities
The Route400 Message Utility set provides the most straightforward method of creating a message enabled application. Simple command line interfaces are provided to submit and read mail, avoiding the complexities of direct integration of application programs through a C-language Application Program Interface (API). Data is transferred directly between the application and the messaging system through files. The utilities can operate within the full range of message infrastructures supported by Route400, including local file sharing between message client and server and remote Message Store access. They provide both Inter-Personal Messaging and Electronic Commerce protocols. Additional functions are available to generate and manipulate Route400 Address Books.

• Simple to use yet powerful enough to support all commonly used operations
• Allows very rapid application development cycles
• Available across the full range of Route400 platforms allowing maximum portability of applications
• Particularly powerful when used within a batch script under DOS, UNIX and Windows NT to submit or receive messages containing data generated from other applications
• For Windows GUI applications, variants of the utilities are available to be accessed through the "winexec" function (for example from Visual Basic applications)
• Variants allow message content suitable for standard messaging applications (X.420 Inter-Personal Messaging Service with P2 protocol) or for use within Electronic Commerce systems (X.435 with Pedi protocol)
• Originator details and other configuration information, for example to prohibit the generation of X.400 messages containing 1988/1992 level material (for interoperation with legacy X.400 (1984) systems), are taken from the standard Route400 message client configuration file
• The "PostItem" utility is used to post a multi-part message addressed to specified recipient(s) to an OutTray
• Recipients may be specified by means of an address book Short Name, an X.400 address in keyword format, an Internet address, Fax address or a "Mailing List" comprising a number of predefined recipients. A recipient may also refer to a Distribution List
• The content of the message may contain one, or more, attachments (or documents) comprising text or binary information. The binary attachments may contain executable code, documents from proprietary applications such as word processors or spread-sheets or application specific material
• Attachments may be encoded within X.400 as Undefined (Bilaterally defined/BP14), External, File Transfer or Route400-specific (DataFile)
• An optional message subject, and delivery and receipt notification levels may be specified
• The "ReadItem" utility is used to check for available mail and to read the first new item (or a specific numbered item) from an InTray. If no new message is present, a specific return code is given. This may be checked in a batch script, for example in order to wait before a further read attempt
• Information about the contents of the envelope may be extracted in either a pre-formatted or machine readable format
• Multiple attachments are read into separate files with names corresponding to their sequence order and with file extensions according to the type of information present
• The "PostItem" and "ReadItem" utilities can operate locally with a Route400 Message Server (MTA or MS), using shared file access to the relevant MailBox or Message Store, via the LAN filing system. Alternatively, remote versions are available for most platforms operating via a communications link to a Message Store with P7 protocol
• For remote access the "Transfer" utility is used to transmit messages from a local OutTray to a remote Message Store (having first been submitted using the remote "Message Store PostItem" utility) and to a local InTray from a remote Message Store (to be read using "ReadItem")
• The "Transfer" utility performs its Message Store access using the P7 message protocol over a range of communications media such as dial-up with APS (X.445 protocol), X.25 or TCP/IP over a LAN. Alternatively, if manual control of message submission is desired, a standard Route400 Remote User Agent can be used to transfer the contents of the OutTray containing both user and application generated messages

• Provides variants of the message utilities suitable for use in Electronic Commerce applications where compliance with X.435 (1988) Pedi is required
• Supports EDIFACT, ANSI X12 and UNTDI interchange formats
• EDI-specific post and read utilities are available for local access to a Route400 Message Server (MTA or MS), using shared file access to the relevant MailBox or Message Store, via the LAN filing system. Alternatively, remote versions are available for most platforms operating via a communications link to a Message Store with P7 protocol (using the "Transfer" utility)
• The "EDI-specific Post" utility takes two files, one containing the electronic data interchange (e.g. EDIFACT) for the message and a second the X.435 parameters for the message. The X.435 parameters are held in a simple keyword and value format
• The "EDI-specific Read" utility reads an X.400 message and creates two files, one containing the electronic data interchange and a second the X.435 parameters from the message
• The files used by the EDI Post and Read utilities can easily be generated or read by an application program written, for example, in Visual Basic
• The "EDI-specific Read" utility can also generate X.435 notifications with message acceptance or repudiation when required. It is possible to process a message first without generating a notification and then to generate any required notification at a later stage (for example when other information sources need to be consulted prior to notification)

The X/Open CMC specification defines a basic set of calls to submit and read messages, and to access address information. The corresponding API comprises a set of C-language libraries that map CMC data types to elements of X.400 messages. Since the CMC specification is "technology neutral" realistic mappings for X.400 have been devised so that a complete mapping always occurs.

• Supports X/Open Common Messaging Calls version 1
• Available across the full range of supported Route400 UNIX platforms and Windows 3.1
• API implementation supplied as a UNIX archive file or shared library, depending on the hardware platform selected
• Supports local access to a Route400 Message Server (MTA or MS) using shared file access to the relevant MailBox or Message Store via the LAN filing system
• Multiple-session support allows separate applications to be supported simultaneously
• Text attachment support encodes General Text body parts where necessary to avoid information loss
• Binary attachments are encoded as File Transfer or External
• Automatic generation of Receipt Notifications
• All 10 CMC-specified calls supported:
  • Sending Messages (2 calls): Send, Send documents
  • Receiving Messages (3 calls): Act-on, List, Read
  • Looking up names (1 call): Look up
  • Administration (4 calls): Logon, Logoff, Free, Query Configuration
• Optionally invokable user interface has capabilities for dialogue prompts, adding/deleting addresses, editing address details, requesting missing message parts to be sent, etc
• Support of the Common Extension Set as defined in the CMC API specification for key common-function and common-data extensions
• Supports NET-TEL extensions with enhanced functionality for MailBox compaction and data extensions for Delivery Reports and Notifications

The API is available in the form of a C-language library which may be accessed directly from the client program. A set of header files is also provided. Available across the full range of supported Route400 UNIX platforms.

Object Manager (XOM)

• Conforms to the X/Open CAE Specification OSI Abstract Data Manipulation API (XOM), Issue 2, standardised as ISO/IEC 14360 (language independent), 14364 (C-language)
• Allows a client to deal with objects instead of the ASN.1 encoding used for X.400 messages, probes and reports
• Converts data structures into conformant protocols for transmission over a network, and performs the reverse process of converting received protocols into easily interpretable data structures
• Provides function calls to create, examine, alter and delete objects created from e-mail messages, directory entries, distribution lists, receipts and notifications, and EDI messages by the Message Transfer API
• Specifically supports: Create, Copy, Put, Write, Copy-Value, Remove, Get, Read, Instance, Encode, Decode and Delete functions
• Supports private objects, service-generated public objects and client-generated public objects

• Conforms to the X/Open CAE Specification API to Electronic Mail (X.400), Issue 2 (Message Transfer Interface), standardised as ISO/IEC 14361 (language independent), 14365 (C-language)
• Provides client access to inbound and outbound message queues associated with a Route400 Message Server (MTA)
• Includes the X/Open Messaging Handling (MH) and Interpersonal Messaging (IM) packages, giving full access to the data in X.400 compliant message structures
• Provides an optional EDI package providing a definition of those objects used to implement the Electronic Data Interchange recommendation X.435 (enabling inclusion and extraction of EDI information in the content of a message using the optional EDI-specific object classes)
• Manages both input and output queues
• Supports the Open, Close, Transfer-Out, Start-Transfer-In, Finish-Transfer-In, Size and Wait functions
• Supports NET-TEL extensions with enhanced functionality to:
  • Select character set
  • Select national IA5 variant
  • Get list of general text character registrations
  • Determine features of translations
  • Determine length of string (2 functions)
  • Translate string into character set (2 functions)
  • Log all error strings to file
  • Display all details of a private object
  • Toggle runtime options on or off

Based upon the use of standard protocols, the Desktop Enabler provides access to messaging services offered by:

• NET-TEL Universal Information Servers
• NET-TEL Route400 Message Servers
• Other X.400-compliant message servers

The Route400 Command Line Interface utility for Windows provides a means of accessing the Route400 Windows User Agent from the command prompt, providing the developer with a quick way of opening windows and sending mail, etc. The utility takes arguments specifying which windows will be open on entry to the Route400 program, the recipient(s) for the message, a subject and one or more files to be sent as the content parts.

The Route400 Windows User Agent can also be controlled via the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) execute commands. The command string is identical to that used with the command line interface.

Fax integration is available via macros that invoke the Route400 Facsimile Printer Driver to generate fax content which can then be transmitted to the Windows user agent for posting via MAPI or DDE.

Route400 Message API
The Route400 Message API provides support for interpersonal messaging applications designed to be used with a Route400 Message Transfer Agent (MTA) located on the same local area network (LAN) or a remote Message Store (MS) using P7 protocol. Each API comprises a set of C-language libraries that are optimised for the X.400 environment. They conform fully to the X.400 (1988/1992) standards and associated GOSIP functional profile; however, X.400 (1984)-compatible applications can be produced without extra effort as the API generates messages that conform to the limitations of the earlier standard if deliberately chosen.

Applications call the API's C-language library directly and can extract messages from a Route400 MTA MailBox or, with the optional extension for remote P7 support, from a Message Store, and decode these. Similarly, messages are encoded and posted into the same MailBox or to a Message Store. Each application has its own, separate MailBox and may behave either as an end-user, or as a gateway or interface to some other system. Access to X.400 primitives is provided by a set of C-structures and function calls that deal with message elements such as individual recipients, address book entries and body parts.

The Route400 Message API is provided with two optional variants to support Electronic Data Interchange (X.435, Pedi protocol) for Electronic Commerce applications and to provide remote access to a Message Store (using the P7 protocol).

• Complies with X.411 and X.420
• Maximal control and flexibility
• Message API model based on classes, groups and items
• Messages organised into groups of individually numbered message items
• Contains built-in ASN.1 support to manage the encoding and decoding of P1 and P2 message contents
• Each group of items allocated to one of four message classes according to associated items' behavioural characteristics:
  1. Received messages - with both local access and P7 support
  2. Submitted messages - also with local access and P7 support
  3. Local folders in flat tray files
  4. Draft messages held in memory for editing
• Flexible configuration file containing user's or application's address, directory pathnames, selected option-values and defaults optimised for typical usage
• InTray scanning to give summary displays
• Reading an item, updating an item's status and posting an item
• Answering and forwarding an item
• Built-in support for the generation of multi-language application versions for error messages and other human-readable text
• Separate module for accessing and manipulating address books containing X.400, fax, Internet, Telex and postal addresses

• Complies with X.435 (1988, Pedi)
• Contains built in ASN.1 engine to manage the encoding and decoding of the P1 header and Pedi message
• Enables the creation, transmission and manipulation of EDI messages
• Provides primitives for the generation of EDI notifications
• Delivered with a utility program in source form enabling structured text dumps of EDI messages to be generated
• Works indirectly with the Message Store when messages are separately transferred to the InTray MailBox using the P7 message protocol

• Full support of the P7 Message Store protocol
• Support for, and interaction with, database files kept on a Route400 Message Store
• Support for a number of P7 protocol profiles enabling operation with a range of third party Message Stores
• Built-in links to a separate communications stack
• Support for dial-up (X.445 (APS) and NET-TEL async), X.25 and TCP/IP communications

• Create, open and close Route400 address books
• Control character set translation for address information
• Read address book Short Name information
• Read, write and delete complete address book records
• Read and set address book version and update flags

• Local command line utilities with message store transfer option:
  - DOS
  - all Route400 supported UNIX platforms
• Windows application "winexec" functions with message store transfer option:
  - Windows 3.1 (and above) and Windows 95
• Local command line utilities:
  - OS/2 Warp
  - Windows NT

• Windows 3.1 and above
• all Route400 supported UNIX platforms including Bull DPX/2 and Pyramid OSx 1.1

• All Route400 supported UNIX platforms
• OS/2 Warp

• Windows 95 and above
• Windows NT 4.0 and above

• Route400 Windows User Agent and Remote User Agent

• Local and remote/P7:
  - DOS
  - Windows 3.1 or later (16-bit)
  - Apple Macintosh System 7 or later
  - all Route400 supported UNIX platforms
• Local:
  - Windows 95 and NT (32-bit)
  - OS/2 Warp

• DOS
• all Route400 supported UNIX platforms

Other variants and options may be available on request