MBOX-Line: From arnt at gulbrandsen.priv.no  Fri Jun 30 09:53:51 2006
To: imap-protocol@u.washington.edu
From: Arnt Gulbrandsen <arnt@gulbrandsen.priv.no>
Date: Fri Jun  8 12:34:37 2018
Subject: [Imap-protocol] IMAP disconnection
In-Reply-To: <Pine.OSX.4.64.0606300923160.408@pangtzu.panda.com>
References: <etPan.44a548f0.6bad5e90.d87@utopia>
	<Pine.OSX.4.64.0606300923160.408@pangtzu.panda.com>
Message-ID: <kFysL5r4CM2misKgHbA2Fw.md5@libertango.oryx.com>

Mark Crispin writes:
> (1) Some servers may perform a cleanup or checkpoint operation during 
> LOGOUT.  Of course, the server will try to trap disconnect, and do 
> the checkpoint anyway in the trap handler.  However, a few 
> (thankfully, rare) OS environments send mandatory (non-trappable) 
> kills to servers on disconnect.  Thus, the disconnect can actually 
> cause a loss of cleanups or mailbox updates!

Don't you think the servers on such platforms should deal with it, 
instead of expecting all clients on all platforms to do so?

For example, a server on such a platform can fork off another intance of 
itself (invisible to the client), close the IMAP connection, and let 
the client go on its way? Instead of expecting the client to -

> fork off another instance of itself (invisible to the user), let the 
> fork have the sockets and go off on its own, and the parent fork 
> which has the user interface forgets the sockets.

Your next paragraph describes both:

> This way, the user sees an immediate termination, whereas behind the 
> curtain the funny man is busy pulling the levers and twirling the 
> dials.

Arnt

