missing log messages

A wierd one here. I've had some incoming mail messages refused by my
sendmail because the size was too great. However, there's no
corresponding useful log message.

For example, I've seen one bounce message generated by ntl.com, which is
informative and accurate ("Size of this message: 5710424 bytes
Server maximum size: 2200000 bytes").

The corresponding sendmail log entry just says:

Dec 24 12:09:02 data sendmail[32694]: mtaout03-winn.ispmail.ntl.com
[81.103.221.49] did not issue MAIL/EXPN/VRFY/ETRN during connection to MTA


Even if the remote server disconnects prematurely, surely sendmail
should log the "too long" failure? But why would sendmail only log a
"no MAIL/...." entry anyway? The smtp transaction clearly got to the
DATA phase.

Might explain a few "missing emails"!!

(sendmail 8.13.8 on freebsd 6.2-RELEASE, btw. Running with delay_checks
if that makes a difference.)



--
Mike Scott (unet scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England

Re: missing log messages

Mike Scott wrote:
> A wierd one here. I've had some incoming mail messages refused by my
> sendmail because the size was too great. However, there's no
> corresponding useful log message.
>
> For example, I've seen one bounce message generated by ntl.com, which is
> informative and accurate ("Size of this message: 5710424 bytes
> Server maximum size: 2200000 bytes").
>
> The corresponding sendmail log entry just says:
>
> Dec 24 12:09:02 data sendmail[32694]: mtaout03-winn.ispmail.ntl.com
> [81.103.221.49] did not issue MAIL/EXPN/VRFY/ETRN during connection to MTA
>
>
> Even if the remote server disconnects prematurely, surely sendmail
> should log the "too long" failure? But why would sendmail only log a
> "no MAIL/...." entry anyway? The smtp transaction clearly got to the
> DATA phase.
>
> Might explain a few "missing emails"!!

Not sure, but you issue MAIL before DATA and as I guess MAIL wasn't issued, so
no data was sent and therefore your server never knew that the DATA was too long.

The transfer maybe got to the remote server and accepted there, but that don't
mean that things went that far between the remote server and your SMTP.

--

//Aho

Re: missing log messages

Mike Scott writes
in comp.mail.sendmail:

> A wierd one here. I've had some incoming mail messages refused by my
> sendmail because the size was too great. However, there's no
> corresponding useful log message.
>
> For example, I've seen one bounce message generated by ntl.com, which
> is informative and accurate ("Size of this message: 5710424 bytes
> Server maximum size: 2200000 bytes").
>
> The corresponding sendmail log entry just says:
>
> Dec 24 12:09:02 data sendmail[32694]: mtaout03-winn.ispmail.ntl.com
> [81.103.221.49] did not issue MAIL/EXPN/VRFY/ETRN during connection to
> MTA
>
>
> Even if the remote server disconnects prematurely, surely sendmail
> should log the "too long" failure? But why would sendmail only log a
> "no MAIL/...." entry anyway? The smtp transaction clearly got to the
> DATA phase.
>
> Might explain a few "missing emails"!!
>
> (sendmail 8.13.8 on freebsd 6.2-RELEASE, btw. Running with
> delay_checks if that makes a difference.)

It is possible that sendmail reported 2200000 on EHLO response.

Therefore other end (mtaout03-winn.ispmail.ntl.com) need not send
mail at all.

It already knows that mail is bigger than what your sendmail accepts.

Note that sendmail reports maximum size on EHLO response:


if (MaxMessageSize > 0)
message("250-SIZE %ld", MaxMessageSize);
else
message("250-SIZE");



I see nothing strange here.


What you have to prove that smtp transaction got to the
DATA phrase? "Server maximum size: 2200000 bytes" does
not prove that. That information is already on response
of EHLO command, which is first command on smtp transaction.


/ Kari Hurtta

Re: missing log messages

Kari Hurtta wrote:
....
> Note that sendmail reports maximum size on EHLO response:
>
>
> if (MaxMessageSize > 0)
> message("250-SIZE %ld", MaxMessageSize);
> else
> message("250-SIZE");
>
>
>
> I see nothing strange here.
>
>
> What you have to prove that smtp transaction got to the
> DATA phrase? "Server maximum size: 2200000 bytes" does
> not prove that. That information is already on response
> of EHLO command, which is first command on smtp transaction.

Ah, I hadn't realised that EHLO passed the message size. Live and learn.

Thanks!


--
Mike Scott (unet scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England