[Tutor] error reporting disreputable

dman dsh8290@rit.edu
Tue, 22 Jan 2002 19:09:00 -0500


On Tue, Jan 22, 2002 at 02:54:46PM -0500, kirk Bailey wrote:
| ok, I included code to report errors to the postmaster. Lookee:
 
| I do NOT get a letter at the postmaster address. I DO get this back to
| the SENDER'S address, and it's NOT the message I coded!!! WTF?!?

The bounce to the sender's address is per RFC2821.  If sendmail got
the message, then gives an error, it will send a bounce to the sender
(or it should anyways).

Check the Received: headers to see where it went.  It is good for you
to add a Received: header at the top of the list to show what/when
your program handled the message.

| The original message was received at Tue, 22 Jan 2002 14:51:30 -0500
| (EST)
| from www.howlermonkey.net [66.13.61.155]
| 
|    ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
| <bozon@noplace.foo>
|     (reason: 550 Host unknown)
| 
|    ----- Transcript of session follows -----
| 550 5.1.2 <bozon@noplace.foo>... Host unknown (Name server:
| noplace.foo: host not found)

Perhaps if you enable VRFY in sendmail you can first VRFY the address
before actually sending the message.  That might help you catch
errors.  (BTW, it is _really_ annoying in the case where I send a
messge to a list and get a bounce because some subscriber to the list
hosed their setup.  That shouldn't happen; the MAIL FROM: should be
rewritten to send bounces to the list bot instead of me when the
message is resent)

-D

-- 

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