s-o-1036 June 1994

7. Control Messages

The following sections document the  currently-defined  con-
trol  messages.   "Message"  is used herein as a synonym for
"article" unless context indicates otherwise.

Posting agents are warned that since  certain  control  mes-
sages require article bodies in quite specific formats, sig-
natures SHOULD not be appended to such articles, and it  may
be  wise to take greater care than usual to avoid unintended
(although perhaps well-meaning) alterations to text supplied

INTERNET DRAFT to be        NEWS                      sec. 7


by  the  poster.  Relayers MUST assume that control messages
mean what they say; they MAY be obeyed as  is  or  rejected,
but MUST not be reinterpreted.

The  execution  of the actions requested by control messages
is subject to local administrative restrictions,  which  MAY
deny   requests  or  refer  them  to  an  administrator  for
approval.  The descriptions below are generally  phrased  in
terms  suggesting mandatory actions, but any or all of these
MAY be subject to local administrative approval (either as a
class  or case-by-case).  Analogously, where the description
below specifies that a message or portion thereof is  to  be
ignored, this action MAY include reporting it to an adminis-
trator.

     NOTE: The  exact  choice  of  local  action  might
     depend   on   what   action  the  control  message
     requests, who it claims to come from, etc.

Relayers MUST propagate even control messages  they  do  not
understand.

In  the  following sections, each type of control message is
defined syntactically by  defining  its  arguments  and  its
body.   For example, "cancel" is defined by defining cancel-
arguments and cancel-body.

--- ../rfc1036/Control_Messages.out          December 1987
+++ ../s-o-1036/Control_Messages.out          June 1994
@@ -1,19 +1,42 @@
-3.  Control Messages
+7. Control Messages
 
-    This section lists the control messages currently defined.  The body
-    of the "Control" header line is the control message.  Messages are a
-    sequence of zero or more words, separated by white space (blanks or
-    tabs).  The first word is the name of the control message, remaining
-    words are parameters to the message.  The remainder of the header
-    and the body of the message are also potential parameters; for
-    example, the "From" line might suggest an address to which a
-    response is to be mailed.
-
-    Implementors and administrators may choose to allow control messages
-    to be carried out automatically, or to queue them for annual
-    processing.  However, manually processed messages should be dealt
-    with promptly.
+The following sections document the  currently-defined  con-
+trol  messages.   "Message"  is used herein as a synonym for
+"article" unless context indicates otherwise.
 
-    Failed control messages should NOT be mailed to the originator of
-    the message, but to the local "usenet" account.
+Posting agents are warned that since  certain  control  mes-
+sages require article bodies in quite specific formats, sig-
+natures SHOULD not be appended to such articles, and it  may
+be  wise to take greater care than usual to avoid unintended
+(although perhaps well-meaning) alterations to text supplied
+
+INTERNET DRAFT to be        NEWS                      sec. 7
+
+
+by  the  poster.  Relayers MUST assume that control messages
+mean what they say; they MAY be obeyed as  is  or  rejected,
+but MUST not be reinterpreted.
+
+The  execution  of the actions requested by control messages
+is subject to local administrative restrictions,  which  MAY
+deny   requests  or  refer  them  to  an  administrator  for
+approval.  The descriptions below are generally  phrased  in
+terms  suggesting mandatory actions, but any or all of these
+MAY be subject to local administrative approval (either as a
+class  or case-by-case).  Analogously, where the description
+below specifies that a message or portion thereof is  to  be
+ignored, this action MAY include reporting it to an adminis-
+trator.
+
+     NOTE: The  exact  choice  of  local  action  might
+     depend   on   what   action  the  control  message
+     requests, who it claims to come from, etc.
+
+Relayers MUST propagate even control messages  they  do  not
+understand.
+
+In  the  following sections, each type of control message is
+defined syntactically by  defining  its  arguments  and  its
+body.   For example, "cancel" is defined by defining cancel-
+arguments and cancel-body.