Setting Up the Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension (MIME) Utility
MIME is the standard
used to attach nontext files to mail messages to send them over
the Internet. The MIME utility allows users to read and compose
MIME-encoded mail messages on OpenVMS systems.
With MIME, users can encode and send nontext files such as
graphics or audio files encoded as plain text; however, those files
are often unreadable. The MIME utility decodes MIME files sent over
the Internet to their original form. MIME also allows users to create
MIME-encoded files, which can be sent as mail messages using the
OpenVMS Mail utility.
For more information on how users can use the MIME utility,
refer to the OpenVMS User's Manual.
Defining
a Foreign Command Your only installation work is to define a foreign command
to run the utility, for example:
MIME:== $SYS$SYSTEM:MIME.EXE
You can establish systemwide defaults for displaying MIME-encoded
messages by creating two files: MIME$MAILCAP.DAT and MIME$FILETYPES.DAT.
MIME$MAILCAP.DAT identifies an application to display each
locally recognized content-type of incoming MIME-encoded files.
MIME$FILETYPES.DAT associates a content-type with the file extension
of outgoing files.
A user can override those defaults by creating these files
in SYS$LOGIN. See the OpenVMS User's Manual for details about those files.
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 1:... 
Customizing the Operating System
