MRC@SIMTEL20.ARPA.UUCP (06/28/86)
The problem is in the SMTP sender at the Symbolics end. There is a bogus space after "MAIL From:" before the "<" that begins the return path. RFC 821 is quite specific about where spaces are expected and where they are not expected. You cannot say "MAIL FROM: <FOO@BAR>", you must say "MAIL FROM:<FOO@BAR>". TOPS-20 isn't the only SMTP server that is fussy about this. Even some Unix-based servers insist upon compliance to the spec here. -------
joseph@SAPSUCKER.SCRC.SYMBOLICS.COM.UUCP (06/30/86)
Date: Fri 27 Jun 86 18:11:52-MDT
From: Mark Crispin <MRC@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
The problem is in the SMTP sender at the Symbolics end. There is a
bogus space after "MAIL From:" before the "<" that begins the return
path. RFC 821 is quite specific about where spaces are expected and
where they are not expected. You cannot say "MAIL FROM: <FOO@BAR>",
you must say "MAIL FROM:<FOO@BAR>".
Quite correct. I fixed this last Monday or so. If you're still seeing this
bogus space, please let me know the originating host at the "Symbolics end"
so that I can find out why someone's running outdated software on it.
TOPS-20 isn't the only SMTP server that is fussy about this. Even some
Unix-based servers insist upon compliance to the spec here.
Someone at a 4.2bsd site told me this "enforcement" took the form of many,
many sendmail processes going into hard loops, pushing the load average up
around 13 and chewing up more than 90% of the machine. The loopy processes
have to be shot. He wasn't happy about it.
-- josephDCP@QUABBIN.SCRC.SYMBOLICS.COM.UUCP (06/30/86)
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 86 09:42 EDT
From: Joseph R Goldstone <joseph@SAPSUCKER.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>
TOPS-20 isn't the only SMTP server that is fussy about this. Even some
Unix-based servers insist upon compliance to the spec here.
Someone at a 4.2bsd site told me this "enforcement" took the form of many,
many sendmail processes going into hard loops, pushing the load average up
around 13 and chewing up more than 90% of the machine. The loopy processes
have to be shot. He wasn't happy about it.
(-: What a great way to bring down a Unix! :-) I assume he was less
happy about the Unix software than he was about ours. Malformed data
should elicit responses about malformed data. TOPS-20 did the right
thing.Palter@SCRC-YUKON.ARPA (Gary M. Palter) (06/30/86)
Date: Fri 27 Jun 86 18:11:52-MDT
From: Mark Crispin <MRC@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
The problem is in the SMTP sender at the Symbolics end. There is a
bogus space after "MAIL From:" before the "<" that begins the return
path. RFC 821 is quite specific about where spaces are expected and
where they are not expected. You cannot say "MAIL FROM: <FOO@BAR>",
you must say "MAIL FROM:<FOO@BAR>".
TOPS-20 isn't the only SMTP server that is fussy about this. Even some
Unix-based servers insist upon compliance to the spec here.
-------
We fixed our mailer last week. eric@MONET.BERKELEY.EDU (Eric Allman) (07/08/86)
Re: > Date: Mon, 30 Jun 86 09:42 EDT > From: Joseph R Goldstone <joseph@sapsucker.scrc.symbolics.com> > Subject: failed mail from DCP > .... > Someone at a 4.2bsd site told me this "enforcement" took the form of many, > many sendmail processes going into hard loops, pushing the load average up > around 13 and chewing up more than 90% of the machine. The loopy processes > have to be shot. He wasn't happy about it. > - -- joseph I checked this on sendmail, and can't seem to get it to take offense to spaces after a "MAIL From:" command. If this is true, I would like to see some more details. eric