mxODBC and NT services

[damien_morton at my-deja.com]

hi people,

   Im about to embark on something on an adventure in Python
programming - the creation of an SMTP server that uses a database to
store incoming and outgoing emails. All of the SMTP severs I have
examined store incoming and outgoing emails as files in spool
directories. For extremely large numbers of emails (50k+), this will
bring an OS to its knees. A database, on the other hand, will cope just
fine (at least, thats my theory).

    Before I embarked on this project, I thought Id post a note to see
if anyone had any comments, suggestions, or warnings about the use of
the mxODBC drivers, and about my project in general.

    I intend using the mxODBC drivers in a fairly heavily multithreaded
environment under Windows NT - i.e. in an NT service. Most of the
outgoing emails will be generated on demand as lists are processed, so,
in truth, there wont be massive volumes of data being transferred over
ODBC. This thing will have to be pretty damned reliable though.

    I have read that ODBC has certain limitations when running as an NT
service of with threads. Do anyone think this will be a problem at all?
Does anyone have any experince with this that they might share?


Ive listed the relevant MS KB artiles below. Ive read them and think
that the problems is probably much more minor than I imagine.

Limitations of DAO, DAO SDK in NT Service or with Threads
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q156/1/38.asp

Running ODBC Applications as Windows NT Services
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q136/4/81.ASP



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