sendmail errorless error

sendmail errorless error

[urgrue]

i normally test our mail servers using a telnet to port 25. but 
something is very different about one mail server. our client hasnt 
complained so im assuming the mail server works. but if i telnet in, 
when i get to MAIL FROM: blah@domain.com, the response is simply:
553 5.3.0 blah@domain.com... >blah<@domain.com.

what does >this< mean?

any attempt to move on to RCPT TO: results in a need MAIL before RCPT 
error.

"blah" and "domain.com" are legitimate, genuine user/domain run by this 
mail server. this error does not happen if i "send" the mail as 
user@some-domain-not-handled-by-this-mailserver.com.

its hard to look up an explanation of the error when there is no error 
message...
can anyone explain this?

Re: sendmail errorless error

[E. Oosterhuis]

Hallo,

I am no sendmail expert, but does 553 not mean "Relaying denied" ?? So you 
have an error message from sendmail.

Enno

On Tuesday 15 June 2004 09:52, urgrue wrote:
> i normally test our mail servers using a telnet to port 25. but
> something is very different about one mail server. our client hasnt
> complained so im assuming the mail server works. but if i telnet in,
> when i get to MAIL FROM: blah@domain.com, the response is simply:
> 553 5.3.0 blah@domain.com... >blah<@domain.com.
>
> what does >this< mean?
>
> any attempt to move on to RCPT TO: results in a need MAIL before RCPT
> error.
>
> "blah" and "domain.com" are legitimate, genuine user/domain run by this
> mail server. this error does not happen if i "send" the mail as
> user@some-domain-not-handled-by-this-mailserver.com.
>
> its hard to look up an explanation of the error when there is no error
> message...
> can anyone explain this?
>
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-admin" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
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-- 
Groeten van

Enno Oosterhuis

e.oosterhuis@ewi.utwente.nl

Re: sendmail errorless error

[urgrue]

> I am no sendmail expert, but does 553 not mean "Relaying denied" ?? 
> So you have an error message from sendmail.

thats why i was confused, because normally i always get a "relaying 
denied" message. as well as the error code.
but in any case, i figured out the reason. sendmail only permitted use 
of user/domain combinations listed in virtusertable. if i used an 
address not in there, i got the >error< problem.
but i dont understand why this is the case. some new anti-spam feature? 
normally sendmail has always allowed me to claim to be whoever i want, 
so long as i came from IPs allowed in relay.
anyway i thought virtusertable only affected incoming mail, but i guess 
i was wrong.



> 
> Enno
> 
> On Tuesday 15 June 2004 09:52, urgrue wrote:
> > i normally test our mail servers using a telnet to port 25. but
> > something is very different about one mail server. our client hasnt
> > complained so im assuming the mail server works. but if i telnet in,
> > when i get to MAIL FROM: blah@domain.com, the response is simply:
> > 553 5.3.0 blah@domain.com... >blah<@domain.com.
> >
> > what does >this< mean?
> >
> > any attempt to move on to RCPT TO: results in a need MAIL before
> RCPT
> > error.
> >
> > "blah" and "domain.com" are legitimate, genuine user/domain run by
> this
> > mail server. this error does not happen if i "send" the mail as
> > user@some-domain-not-handled-by-this-mailserver.com.
> >
> > its hard to look up an explanation of the error when there is no
> error
> > message...
> > can anyone explain this?
> >
> > -
> > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe
> linux-admin" in
> > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> > More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
> 
> --
> Groeten van
> 
> Enno Oosterhuis
> 
> e.oosterhuis@ewi.utwente.nl
> 
> 

Re: sendmail errorless error

[Glynn Clements]

urgrue wrote:

> i normally test our mail servers using a telnet to port 25. but 
> something is very different about one mail server. our client hasnt 
> complained so im assuming the mail server works. but if i telnet in, 
> when i get to MAIL FROM: blah@domain.com, the response is simply:
> 553 5.3.0 blah@domain.com... >blah<@domain.com.
> 
> what does >this< mean?

Essentially, it means that the check_mail ruleset resolved to:

	$#error $@ 5.3.0 $: 553 >blah<@domain.com.

As for why that happens, try:

	$ sendmail -bt
	ADDRESS TEST MODE (ruleset 3 NOT automatically invoked)
	Enter <ruleset> <address>
	> .Dclient_name=mail.foo.com
	> .Dclient_addr=123.123.123.123
	> check_mail blah@domain.com

That will show the flow of the address through the rulesets.

If you want more information, add -d21.x to the command, where x is an
integer controlling the level of detail (1 is the default, 2 shows $&
substitutions, 4 shows all rewrites, 12 shows every rule which is
tried).

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn.clements@virgin.net>