On Mon, 14 May 2001 at 11:38:48 -0400, Rob Mahurin wrote:
[snip]
>Try sending a message to a both to a disappearing and
>non-disappearing address. The disappearing address, after
>delivery, should show up with a "D" in the mailq output,
>while the non-disappearing address prevents the mail from
>being erased from the queue. Then you should be able to
>see what happened from the logfile.
[snip]
I have also been doing a lot of reading:
- /usr/share/doc/exim/oview.txt.gz
- /usr/share/doc/exim/spec.txt.gz
To answer one of my own questions previously posted, the way
to see log messages for email messages that have already been
delivered is to use ``exigrep'' ...for example:
# exigrep aol /var/log/exim/mainlog
And ``exicyclog'' causes log files to be refreshed.
Thank you for explaining the syntax for
mailq/head/cut/tail commands. OK, i tried sending a message
to both a disappearing and a non-disappearing address. I knew
that "@yahoo.com" would get to its destination, but "@aol.com"
would not:
$ echo "TEST." | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Here it is in the queue:
# mailq
0m 307 150UOr-0001mF-00 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
D [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Here it is in the main log (``exicyclog'' was used to flush old
messages away):
# exigrep aol /var/log/exim/mainlog
+++ 150UOr-0001mF-00 not completed +++
2001-05-17 13:29:33 150UOr-0001mF-00 <= [EMAIL PROTECTED] U=cymbala P=local
S=289
2001-05-17 13:29:33 150UOr-0001mF-00 == [EMAIL PROTECTED] routing defer
(-42): retry time not reached
2001-05-17 13:29:33 150UOr-0001mF-00 == [EMAIL PROTECTED] R=smarthost
defer (-1):
2001-05-17 13:29:33 150UOr-0001mF-00 ** [EMAIL PROTECTED]: retry timeout
exceeded
2001-05-17 13:29:34 150UOr-0001mF-00 Error message sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
After doing enough reading, it occurred to me that the reason
why email to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" (and select others) was marked as
"D" for delivered (per man-page extract you posted in most recent
reply) but was "disappearing" had to do with Exim's databases.
It has these databases:
- retry
- reject
- wait-* (e.g., wait-smtp)
- serial-*
Those databases remember what has happened in the past. The command
to view those databases is "exim_dumpdb". So, i dumped:
# exim_dumpdb /var/spool/exim retry
Lo and behold, the "problem" domains (like "@aol.com") appeared with
the strange message "unknown error" (or something like that).
I don't have the exact error message from the retry database because of:
# exim_tidydb -t 0d /var/spool/exim retry
That command deleted all historical information (thus, I don't have
wording of the error message).
That did it!!!!! I mean, fixed the problem.
After running tidy-db (with time set to 0d, or zero days)
the retry database no longer gets in the way. In other words:
# mailq
0m 307 150UOr-0001mF-00 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Now email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] has _NOT_ yet been delivered, but will
be delivered once I establish a PPP connection using ``pon''.
Two observations:
1.
file://localhost/usr/share/doc/exim/oview.txt.gz
"Exim is not designed for storing mail for dial-in hosts."
2.
file://localhost/usr/share/doc/exim/spec.txt.gz
"41. INTERMITTENTLY CONNECTED HOSTS
Exim was designed for use on permanently connected hosts."
and,
"41.2 Exim on the intermittently connected host"
3.
``man exim_tidydb''
"It is suggested that it be run periodically on all three
databases, but at a quiet time of day, ..."
Now there's just one question remaining in my mind... is Debian
configured to run exim_tidydb periodically? In my situation
(the dial-up laptop) the whole retry/reject database thing is a hassle
that doesn't really increase efficiency. I'm probably going to put
exim_tidydb (with time 0d) into my daily cron jobs just to avoid
the original problem: disappearing emails.
Final note: exigrep reported that error messages were being
sent upon "retry timeout exceeded" but the destination domain
("@lafn.org") was one of those domains in the "retry timeout
exceeded" group. Thus, error notifications were also being
rejected, giving the "disappearing message" effect.
Here's the original post:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user-0105/msg00755.html
THANKS Michael, Alan and Rob!
Robert
--
Robert Cymbala [EMAIL PROTECTED] ...or... [EMAIL PROTECTED]
QUEBEC CITY -- The leaders of 34 Western Hemisphere nations...
promised to create a hemisphere in which `no one is left behind.'
-- April 23. JAMES GERSTENZANG, L.A. Times
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