E-mail messages move in from one router to another
through a network of interconnected routers. When you send an email, your email client connects to your email server and sends the email through a series of routers.
The email server first determines the recipient's email server based on the domain name in the email address. It then sends the email to its outgoing mail server, which acts as a router. This outgoing mail server checks its routing table to determine the next hop, which is the next router that is responsible for delivering the email.
The outgoing mail server then establishes a connection with the next router and transmits the email. This process continues until the email reaches the recipient's email server.
Each router in the network receives the email and looks at the destination address in the email header to determine the next router to send it to. The routers use protocols like SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to communicate with each other and exchange the necessary routing information.
Once the email reaches the recipient's email server, it is stored in the recipient's mailbox. The recipient can then retrieve the email using their email client.
Overall, the movement of email messages from one router to another involves a series of hops through interconnected routers, each responsible for forwarding the email based on routing information.
Here are the steps involved when email messages move from one router to another:
1. Message Origination: The email message is composed and sent by the sender from their email client (e.g., Outlook, Gmail).
2. Sender's Mail Server: The email message is initially received by the sender's mail server. This is the server responsible for sending and receiving emails for the sender's domain.
3. DNS Lookup: The sender's mail server performs a Domain Name System (DNS) lookup to determine the mail server responsible for receiving email for the recipient's domain. The DNS record associated with the recipient's domain contains the necessary information.
4. SMTP Handshake: The sender's mail server establishes a connection using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) with the recipient's mail server. SMTP is the standard protocol used for email transmission.
5. Message Routing: The sender's mail server routes the email message through various routers based on the recipient's domain. Each router examines the email header and determines where to forward the message next based on the destination information.
6. Intermediate Routers: As the email message passes through routers, each router examines the recipient's domain and determines the next hop that is closer to the final destination mail server.
7. Final Router: The last router in the chain determines that the destination mail server is the final destination and sends the email message directly to that server.
8. Recipient's Mail Server: The recipient's mail server receives the email message from the last router and stores it in the appropriate mailboxes associated with the recipient's email address.
9. User Access: The recipient can then access their email client or webmail interface and download the received email from their mail server.
It's important to note that the steps described above may vary depending on the email infrastructure and configuration of the sender's and recipient's mail servers.