DATA command: Define the following information as data

Purpose

Use the DATA command to define the data text that composes the mail body.

Guideline: Use the DATA command after a HELO or EHLO command, a MAIL FROM command, and at least one RCPT TO command have been accepted.

Format


>>-DATA--------------------------------------------------------><

Parameters

This command has no parameters.

Results:

If any record in the body of the mail begins with a period (.), the sending SMTP program must convert the period (.) into a pair of periods (..). When the receiving SMTP server encounters a record that begins with two periods in the body of the mail, it discards the leading period. This convention, which must be followed for batch SMTP connections, permits the body of mail to contain records that would otherwise be interpreted as signaling the end of the body of the mail.
If a QUIT command is not found at the end of a batch SMTP command data set, a QUIT command is implied.
If the header of the mail in a batch SMTP command is not explicitly specified with the DATE record, the CSSMTP application adds one. You can modify this behavior with the header statement in the configuration. See Header statement in the z/OS Communications Server: IP Configuration Reference.
If a blank line between the mail header and the mail body is not explicitly specified, the CSSMTP application adds one.
If a Message-ID header is not explicitly specified in the mail message, the CSSMTP application adds one for this mail message. The Message-ID is a mail message identifier. For example:
```
Message-ID: <TESTMAIL.SYS00006.CSSMTP1.mydomain.com.Sep302008.160454.541437.1>
```
- The Message-ID header consists of the following information:
  - TESTMAIL: The job name of the mail message of the JES spool file. This behavior can be modified with the header statement in the configuration. See Header statement in the z/OS Communications Server: IP Configuration Reference.
  - SYS00006: The job identifier of the JES spool file. This behavior can be modified with the header statement in the configuration. See Header statement in the z/OS Communications Server: IP Configuration Reference.
  - CSSMTP1.mydomain.com: The fully qualified host name on which the CSSMTP application is running
  - Sep302008.160454.541437.1: The date and time when the mail message was processed. The value 160454 represents the time 16:04:54.
- If this mail message cannot be delivered, the CSSMTP application appends a U to the end of the Message-ID into the undeliverable mail notification. For example:
```
<TESTMAIL.SYS00006.CSSMTP1.mydomain.com.Sep302008.160454.541437.1U>
```
If a Message-ID header is explicitly specified in the mail message, the CSSMTP application adds one into the undeliverable mail notification if this mail message cannot be delivered. For example:
```
<TESTMAIL.SYS00006.CSSMTP1.mydomain.com.Sep302008.160454.541437.1U>
```
If a From header is not explicitly specified, the CSSMTP application adds one with the sender_path_address value that is specified on the MAIL FROM command.

Restriction: When mail arrives over the JES spool interface using an SMTP batch or TSO TRANSMIT command, a newline character or less than (<) character in the last column of the 80-byte input record data is interpreted as a continuation character by the SMTP transport layer. The last byte of data should not be a continuation character. If the last byte is a continuation character, then the last record is not processed correctly and data is missed. Check your mail file, correct the data, and resend the mail.