[net.mail.headers] Mail routing. Mail optimizing. Mail looping. mail breaking.

chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (10/16/85)

Sigh.... I've caught this message passing between my system and ihnp4 about
3 times now, so I finally intercepted it. As near as I can figure out,
someone over in the UK tried to send something through nsc!voder, mispelled
the site name as 'vodor' and it died here at nsc. Our mailer daemon tried
to rebuild a return address, shipped it back to ihnp4, which barfed on the
return address, and tried to send it back again. I've seen it bounce three
times today, between our mailer daemon and ihnp4. I suggest that anyone
trying to build routing systems think VERY hard about how they are doing it
-- it is obvious that many systems out there generate addresses that break
other mailers... what I'm wondering now is how long it would have bounced
between my mailer and ihnp4 before the system threw it away -- anyone for
infinite mailing loops?

chuq
**** mailer error message ****

From daemon  Tue Oct 15 16:50:02 1985 remote from ihnp4
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:18:18 edt
From: ihnp4!daemon
Full-Name: Mail Delivery Subsystem
Subject: Returned mail: unknown mailer error 11
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA15761; 15 Oct 85 16:50:02 CDT (Tue)
To: nsc!MAILER-DAEMON

   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
bad system name: d
uux failed ( 11 )
554 decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!d!MAILER-DAEmcnc... unknown mailer error 11

   ----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA15731; 15 Oct 85 16:50:02 CDT (Tue)
Received: by nsc.UUCP (4.12/4.7)
	id AA27103; Tue, 15 Oct 85 14:27:11 pdt
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:18:18 edt
From: nsc!MAILER-DAEMON (Mail Delivery Subsystem)
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Message-Id: <8510152127.AA27103@nsc.UUCP>
To: ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!d!MAILER-DAEmcnc

   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
550 IVER... User unknown
554 ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!d!MAILER-DAEmcnc... Unbalanced '<'

   ----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by nsc.UUCP (4.12/4.7)
	id AA27099; Tue, 15 Oct 85 14:27:11 pdt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA13807; 15 Oct 85 15:57:55 CDT (Tue)
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7)
	id AA26602; Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:20:40 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7)
	id AA20288; Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:19:37 edt
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7)
	id AA09119; Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:18:18 edt
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 85 11:18:18 edt
Message-Id: <8510151518.AA09119@rti-sel>
From: rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!nsc!MAILER-DAEMON (Mail Delivery Subsystem) <rti-sel!mcnc!i <MAILER-DAEmcnc@d.UUCP>
To: rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!rti-sel!mcnc!!IVER
To: rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!nsc!IVER
To: ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!doc!project!driver!project!doc!project!driver!dfh

Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA09350; Mon, 14 Oct 85 11:40:54 edt
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA16630; Mon, 14 Oct 85 11:34:14 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA28724; Mon, 14 Oct 85 11:33:10 edt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA18499; 14 Oct 85 10:11:51 CDT (Mon)
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA15752; Mon, 14 Oct 85 09:06:24 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA24380; Mon, 14 Oct 85 09:05:24 edt
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA02259; Mon, 14 Oct 85 09:03:58 edt
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 85 09:03:58 edt
Message-Id: <8510141303.AA02259@rti-sel>
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA03206; Sun, 13 Oct 85 18:38:59 edt
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA08615; Sun, 13 Oct 85 18:05:38 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA13947; Sun, 13 Oct 85 18:04:38 edt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA20186; 13 Oct 85 16:51:32 CDT (Sun)
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA04804; Sun, 13 Oct 85 07:29:34 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA10221; Sun, 13 Oct 85 07:28:37 edt
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA22868; Sun, 13 Oct 85 07:27:30 edt
Date: Sun, 13 Oct 85 07:27:30 edt
Message-Id: <8510131127.AA22868@rti-sel>
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA18737; Sat, 12 Oct 85 18:48:46 edt
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA01169; Sat, 12 Oct 85 17:44:16 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA04779; Sat, 12 Oct 85 17:43:15 edt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA16236; 12 Oct 85 16:16:03 CDT (Sat)
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA25582; Sat, 12 Oct 85 06:17:34 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA29212; Sat, 12 Oct 85 06:16:39 edt
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA14114; Sat, 12 Oct 85 06:15:45 edt
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 85 06:15:45 edt
Message-Id: <8510121015.AA14114@rti-sel>
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7) id AA12943; Sat, 12 Oct 85 01:43:08 edt
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7) id AA22597; Sat, 12 Oct 85 01:08:10 edt
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7) id AA27755; Sat, 12 Oct 85 01:07:11 edt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA04281; 11 Oct 85 16:12:45 CDT (Fri)
Received: by nsc.UUCP (4.12/4.7) id AA01079; Fri, 11 Oct 85 08:47:25 pdt
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 09:01:38 edt
Message-Id: <8510111547.AA01079@nsc.UUCP>
   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
bad system name: vodor
uux failed. code 68
550 vodor!gbs... Host unknown

   ----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by nsc.UUCP (4.12/4.7)
	id AA01069; Fri, 11 Oct 85 08:47:25 pdt
Received: by ihnp4.ATT.UUCP id AA19587; 11 Oct 85 09:50:29 CDT (Fri)
Received: from mcnc by pepe (4.12/4.7)
	id AA16783; Fri, 11 Oct 85 09:04:13 edt
From: <ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!doc!project!driver!project!doc!project!driver!dfh>
Received: by mcnc (4.12/4.7)
	id AA06630; Fri, 11 Oct 85 09:02:48 edt
Received: by rti-sel (4.12/4.7)
	id AA12689; Fri, 11 Oct 85 09:01:38 edt
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 09:01:38 edt
Message-Id: <8510111301.AA12689@rti-sel>
Sender: ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!driver.UUCP!dfh
Subject: Re: What does the C optimiser do? -- Responses
To: project!doc!driver!rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!nsc!vodor!gbs

To: project!doc!scirtp!rti-sel!mcnc!ihnp4!nsc!vodor!gbs
From ittvax!decvax!mcnc!idis!mi-cec!dvk Tue Feb 14 14:19:39 1984
-- 
:From the caverns of the Crystal Cave:  Chuq Von Rospach 
Currently: nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA       {decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,pyramid}!nsc!chuqui
Soon to be:				..!sun!<somethingorother>

Our time is past -- it is a time for men, not magic. Come, let us leave
this world to the usurpers and rest our weary bones....

root@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles Root) (10/19/85)

One useful convention is that if a message is from mailer-daemon, and
you get an error in trying to route it, just drop it on the floor.
Don't try to generate another error.  I would check the from field
for mailer-daemon or MAILER-DAEMON anywhere in the address.