When you install QS it will create a generic new message. It will look very much like this example, but of course, contain the host and address info you entered during the installation process.
Fcc: outbox Host: quicksilvermail.net From: quicksilver@quicksilvermail.net Chain: *,*,*; copies=2; To: Subject: ~~
As you can see, the message includes both familiar headers and also some you likely haven't seen in an email message before. I'll explain.
[top]Above all else, what makes this a remailer message is the Chain header. When QS passes the message to mixmaster, mix uses the Chain header to implement the remailer chain that the sender desires. In this case, three remailers will be selected at random and two copies will be sent. The copies are intended to increase reliability of delivery. The remailer network isn't 100% reliable. When selecting remailers for your message, each copy will have a different chain of remailers that the other(s). However, all chains for a given message will end at the same remailer. Once that remailer delivers the message once, any further copies arriving will be discarded. The maximum chain length is 20 remailers.
In most cases it's best to allow mix to choose remailers randomly. It's possible, however, to specifically name the remailers in your chain. Here are some examples:
Chain: *,*,dizum Chain: *,*,*,*,banana; copies=3; Chain: * Chain: austria Chain: crypto,noauth,kulin
It's important to note that in the last three examples, the copies clause can't be used because there are no random remailers in the chain for mix to vary the remailer in that position. It can't create any chain other than that given. In the example with a single random remailer, that remailer would remain the same in all copies. Thus, it cannot support copies. In actuality, you'll want all remailers in the chain random with the possible exception of the last. There are occasional reasons to specifically pick one for that. An example being delivery to mail2news gateway. Some remailers fail, for unknown reasons, to deliver to some gateways. In that case, one chooses a remailer known to succeed with a given gateway. For more on this, see Mail2news Gateways.
This version of QS extends the capabilities of the Chain header. Now, it's possible for you to specify a list of remailers the program can pick randomly from, for either the first or last remailer. Take a look at these examples:
Chain: *,*,(george.dizum.devurandom) Chain: (banana.austria.kulin),*,* Chain: (pobox.winters.frell.dizum),*,(cripto.noauth.george) Chain: *,*,*,(george.dizum.frell.pboxmix); copies=3;
Please notice these new lists are dot (.) separated and enclosed in parentheses. IMPORTANT A list in the first remailer position must be followed by a random selected remailer, and a list in the last remailer position must be preceded by a random remailer.
[top]QS uses a Host header to specify the SMTP host you'll use for sending the message. If the host doesn't require authentication or TLS encrypted connections, you can simply put the host name in the host header like this:
Host: smtp.yourisp.net
If the host requires a non-standard port such as 2525 instead of 25, you can specify that info in the Host header like this:
Host: smtp.yourisp.net:2525
If your SMTP host requires authentication or TLS/SSL encrypted connections you will need to add the host to the SMTP Host Manager Dialog, along with the pertinent auth and/or TLS/SSL info. If your email service specifies port 587 your can be sure the connection requires TLS. If it requires port 465 it requires SSL. There may be variations on this. The instructions provided by the email service will give all required info. In the case of listing a host in the SMTP Host Manager, you'll place the name you give the host in the host header, instead of the host itself. For more see: SMTP Host Manager
[top]This header provides the service of filing a copy of the outgoing message in the mailbox named in the header. Default is outbox. To create new mailboxes, just Fcc a message there and the box will be created.
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Cutmarks mark the bottom of the message. The text of the message body is placed just above this symbol.
IMPORTANT: you must skip a line between the last header and the message body, like this:
Fcc: outbox Host: quicksilvermail.net From: quicksilver@quicksilvermail.net Chain: *,*,*; copies=2; To: mary#herisp.net Subject: You have a secret friend Dear Mary, I have admired you from afar for many months... ~~
When the message is sent, the ~~ and everything below it are stripped from the message. That allows for you to place notes regarding the template in the area below the cutmarks. They won't be sent with the message.
Personally, I like the cutmarks in my message--even without the use of the notes feature, as it gives the template a completed look. However, they are optional. They are'nt required to be present, but, of course, you can't make any notes below without them.
[top]Take a look at this example:
Fcc: outbox Host: quicksilvermail.net From: quicksilver@quicksilvermail.net From: jones@nowhere.net Chain: *,*,*; copies=2; To: Subject: ~~
Some remailers allow you to pass all or part of an email address along with the message. The first From header accompanies the message to the first remailer where it is stripped away and replaced with the remailers own address. The second is carried within the encrypted message all the way to the recipient's mailbox. There are cases where this can provide a continuing persona even though the address may be bogus. Some new users object that a remailed message is delivered with the remailer's email address as the sender of the message. This can fix that problem, but chances are, if you use the second From header, the final remailer in your chain will add a disclaimer to the body of the message. That's just a fact of life. This feature, naturally, leads to significant quantities of abuse and headaches for the remailer operator.
A second from need not be a complete address. It could be something like one of these:
From: Jim Jones From: darkstar
This is often referred to as using a nickname. Unfortunately, most exit remailers don't support this feature. For more see, Using Nicknames
[top]One of the first things you'll notice about a QS message is that the headers are all contained in the message editor, rather than in separate edit controls like a conventional email program. This provides a great deal of flexibility and convenience for the user who wishes to add valid, though not necessarily usual, headers to the message.
Because of this method of specifying headers, it's advisable to fold headers that are longer than the editor window is wide. Long headers can be broken and continued (folded) from line to line, but the editor word-wrap function will not do the job properly. You need to handle the wrapping job yourself, but it's not hard. I'll use a 'To: ' header to illustrate proper continuation. This header can sometimes be very long. Here's an unfolded example:
To: thisguy@some.org, otherguy@some.org, jim@hishome.net
Let's pretend the header above is so long it gets word-wrapped. We need to fold this header on to more than one line so it won't be wrapped. Below is a properly folded line.
To: thisguy@some.org, otherguy@some.org, jim@hishome.net
Please notice. Each successive line after the first MUST begin with white space. This would be one space or one tab character. Most headers have some place where you can logically break them to continue on the next line. It need not be at a comma as above. Between words or items are legal too. Rfc822 has a section dealing specifically with long headers and folding.
[top]I'm providing this info on mixmaster max header length in hope of not confusing you. Headers in mixmaster messages cannot be longer than 80 characters. Folding headers, as described above, is a method of insuring length less than 80. However, the mixmaster protocol provides for pasting message headers into the message body where the length is not restricted. Whe decrypting the message, mixmaster looks for pasted headers and moves them to the header portion of the message when it finds any.
You won't need to understand anything about header pasting in QS. The program automatically does this pasting for you. It's important that you know, the recipient headers cannot be pasted. Those are To, Cc, and Bcc. Make sure these headers are folded to less than 80 chars. You should also be aware that mixmaster messages cannot contain more than 5 recipients total in all recipient headers. More than 5 and your message won't be delivered.
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