Introduction to the Messaging Architecture

The Messaging Architecture is a powerful and extensible multi-protocol messaging framework. It offers opportunities to build highly-featured message client applications, and to create plug-in modules to support individual messaging protocols. The set of components that make up such a plug-in module is called a Message Type Module (MTM). All interaction with lower-level communication protocols, such as TCP/IP, is performed by the MTMs.

Message client applications and MTMs — such as for POP3 and SMTP Internet mail, SMS, and fax, use the Messaging Architecture. They are, however, designed to be separate components, and the Messaging Architecture can be installed and used without them.

This topic describes the key principles and components of the Messaging Architecture. It assumes a knowledge of the client/server, asynchronous processing, and active objects features of the system architecture.

The full messaging architecture is of some complexity. Developers who need only to add message sending capabilities to their application are recommended first to experiment with Send as, which provides this ability.