kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu (Kent Paul Dolan) (06/12/88)
Postmasters of the Usenet world,
When you are wondering why your USENet phone bills have gone through
the roof, you need look no farther than your own failure to provide
working "r"eply addresses in news and mail emitted from your system.
Here is an example of the results, a note with one useful line, and a
response trying to get six lines of answer back, have become this
monstrosity, and the mail has not yet made its way to the sender of
the first message. I very, very seriously doubt this is unique, and I
have hundreds of kilobytes of examples to share with anyone who thinks
it might be. How about if each of you takes the trouble to make sure
that mail and news from your site can be successfully responded to by
a naive user anywhere on the net with just the touch of an "r" or "R"
key, so this kind of nonsense can stop!
==============================================================================
-> From kent Sun Jun 12 01:09:21 1988
-> To: hoptoad!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!ames.arc.nasa.gov!ads.com!wannabe.ads.com!cbunjiov
-> hoptoad!postmaster tadguy
-> Subject: Charlene, your mailer is _so_ messed up! (Also ack of alt.slug note.)
-> Cc: hoptoad!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!ames.arc.nasa.gov!ads.com!postmaster
-> hoptoad!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!ames.arc.nasa.gov!ads.com!wannabe.ads.com!postmaster
-> hoptoad!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!ames.arc.nasa.gov!postmaster
-> hoptoad!amdahl.uts.amdahl.com!postmaster
-> Status: R
->
-> Charleen,
->
-> This is turning into a grudge match between me and your
-> systems' incompetent mail software. I actually got the letter
-> into your system on my second try by inverting the received
-> path, and wannabe's mail software _still_ couldn't cope with
-> delivering the letter to you. This time I'm adding the
-> postmasters near you along the route, in hopes that one will
-> have some idea how to get the letter to you, when, as seems
-> inevitable, it bounces yet again, and will take the time to
-> fix up the mail software so your letters will come out with a
-> "r"eply address that works!
->
-> Kent, the man from xanth.
->
-> First, here's a copy of the original letter, claiming it came
-> from both wannabe.ads.com and zodiac, at the same time.
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | From cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp Sat Jun 4 16:36:10 1988
-> | Received: from hoptoad.uucp by xanth.cs.odu.edu with UUCP/smail2.51
-> | (5.51/odu-gateway) id AA27493; Sat, 4 Jun 88 16:36:07 EDT
-> | Received: by hop.toad.com id AA01617; Sat, 4 Jun 88 10:49:05 PDT
-> | Received: by amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (/\../\ Smail3.1.1.4 #0.4)
-> | id <m0dLh8b-00003ZC@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>; Sat, 4 Jun 88 10:16 PDT
-> | Received: Sat, 4 Jun 88 10:08:27 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | Received: from wannabe.ads.com by ads.com (5.59/1.13)
-> | id AA17092; Sat, 4 Jun 88 09:26:23 PDT
-> | Received: by wannabe.ads.com (5.59/1.9)
-> | id AA01827; Sat, 4 Jun 88 09:20:53 PDT
-> | Date: Sat, 4 Jun 88 09:20:53 PDT
-> | From: Charleen Bunjiovianna <cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp>
-> | Message-Id: <8806041620.AA01827@wannabe.ads.com>
-> | To: kent@xanth.uucp
-> | Subject: Re: newsgroups never die.
-> | Newsgroups: odu.general,alt.birthright,alt.config
-> | In-Reply-To: <5460@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | References: <527@mailrus.cc.umich.edu>
-> | Organization: Advanced Decision Systems, Mt. View, CA (415) 960-7300
-> | Cc:
-> | Status: RO
-> |
-> | The banana slug is the official mascot of UC Santa Cruz, not Davis.
-> |
-> | Charleen
-> |
-> | --
-> | /* Charleen Bunjiovianna | Robert A. Heinlein, 1907-1988 */
-> | /* Advanced Decision Systems | */
-> | /* Mountain View, California | WORK HARDER...millions on welfare are */
-> | /* | counting on you. */
-> |
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> Now, the host tables have no idea who "wannabe" or "ads" are,
-> but the "r"eply address in the above is:
->
-> From: Charleen Bunjiovianna <cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp>
->
-> and the host tables do have a zodiac, probably the wrong one;
-> uuhosts zodiac gives:
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | UUCP mail path from xanth to zodiac:
-> | zodiac ames!sri-spam!zodiac!%s
-> | UUCP mail path for zodiac annotated by location:
-> | zodiac ames(u.usa.ca.2)!sri-spam(u.usa.ca.4)!zodiac!%s
-> |
-> | UUCP mail information for host zodiac (#USENET lines show USENET news links):
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> So my mailer happily sent the letter on it's way:
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | From kent Mon Jun 6 00:51:56 1988
-> | To: cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp
-> | Subject: Re: newsgroups never die.
-> | Status: RO
-> |
-> | Charleen,
-> |
-> | Thanks; I got a letter from -=paul=- at UC Davis telling me the same
-> | thing. Too bad I have such a sieve for a head; I got chewed out by
-> | someone at UC Santa Cruise for maligning the slug, their school mascot,
-> | but by the time it came around to supporting the proposal for alt.slug,
-> | "smaller Ca. University" was about all I could remember. Care to send
-> | a vote one way or the other on alt.slug?
-> |
-> | Kent, the man from xanth.
-> |
-> | [A short note in memorial of Robert Anson Heinlein, born 21 October 1907,
-> | died 8 May 1988, provided thought provoking entertainment to millions in
-> | the interim with his science-fiction writings. "Thou art God," Robert, and
-> | you will be sorely missed by the generation whose ideas and ideals you
-> | helped to mold.]
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> Sadly, however, sri-spam never heard of zodiac:
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | From postmaster@ames.UUCP Tue Jun 7 04:34:28 1988
-> | Received: from ames.uucp by xanth.cs.odu.edu with UUCP/smail2.51
-> | (5.51/odu-gateway) id AA03002; Tue, 7 Jun 88 04:34:26 EDT
-> | Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT
-> | From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <postmaster@ames.UUCP>
-> | Subject: Returned mail: Remote protocol error
-> | Message-Id: <8806061425.AA00093@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
-> | To: kent@xanth.UUCP
-> | Status: R
-> |
-> | ----- Transcript of session follows -----
-> | >>> DATA
-> | <<< 550 <zodiac!cbunjiov>... Host unknown
-> | 554 sri-spam!zodiac!cbunjiov... Remote protocol error: Bad file number
-> |
-> | ----- Unsent message follows -----
-> | Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:59:14 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | Received: by xanth.cs.odu.edu (5.51/odu-gateway)
-> | id AA17191; Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | Message-Id: <8806060451.AA17191@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | From: Kent Paul Dolan <kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | To: zodiac!cbunjiov
-> | Subject: Re: newsgroups never die.
-> |
-> | Charleen,
-> |
-> | Thanks; I got a letter from -=paul=- at UC Davis telling me the same
-> | thing. Too bad I have such a sieve for a head; I got chewed out by
-> | someone at UC Santa Cruise for maligning the slug, their school mascot,
-> | but by the time it came around to supporting the proposal for alt.slug,
-> | "smaller Ca. University" was about all I could remember. Care to send
-> | a vote one way or the other on alt.slug?
-> |
-> | Kent, the man from xanth.
-> |
-> | [A short note in memorial of Robert Anson Heinlein, born 21 October 1907,
-> | died 8 May 1988, provided thought provoking entertainment to millions in
-> | the interim with his science-fiction writings. "Thou art God," Robert, and
-> | you will be sorely missed by the generation whose ideas and ideals you
-> | helped to mold.]
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> Well, this was discouraging, but smail gave hints that it
-> might find a path just based on the .com part of
-> wannabe.ads.com:
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | smail -d user@wannabe.ads.com < /dev/null
-> | resolve: parse address 'user@wannabe.ads.com' = 'user' @ 'wannabe.ads.com' (DOMAIN)
-> | getpath: looking for '.wannabe.ads.com'
-> | getpath: looking for 'wannabe.ads.com'
-> | getpath: looking for '.ads.com'
-> | getpath: looking for 'ads.com'
-> | getpath: looking for '.com'
-> | route: 'wannabe.ads.com' (com) = 'sun!%s' (498)
-> | resolve: parse route 'sun!wannabe.ads.com!user' = 'wannabe.ads.com!user' @ 'sun' (UUCP)
-> | resolve 'user@wannabe.ads.com' = 'wannabe.ads.com!user' @ 'sun' (UUCP)
-> | COMMAND: /usr/bin/uux -akent - sun!rmail '(wannabe.ads.com!user)'
-> | From kent Sun Jun 12 00:54:26 1988 remote from xanth
-> | Message-Id: <8806120054.AA02911@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | Date: 12 Jun 88 00:54:26 EDT (Sun)
-> | From: kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu (Kent Paul Dolan)
-> | To: user@wannabe.ads.com
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> So I sent the letter off with a bit more context in the address:
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | From kent Tue Jun 7 09:05:45 1988
-> | To: wannabe.ads.com!zodiac!cbunjiov
-> | Subject: mail problems & slug response
-> | Status: R
-> |
-> | Charleen,
-> |
-> | Your mail software is emitting notes for you with a return ("From:")
-> | address of "Charleen Bunjiovianna <cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp>"; this is
-> | apparently not a sufficient address to get mail back to you.
-> | Following is the mailer's bounce message, including my original note
-> | to you. Please take the time to carry this to your mail software
-> | maintainer, so that mail from you going off site can carry a
-> | functioning return address in the future. That way you get more
-> | answers to your letters!
-> |
-> | Thanks!
-> |
-> | Kent, the man from xanth.
-> |
-> | >From postmaster@ames.UUCP Tue Jun 7 04:34:28 1988
-> | >Received: from ames.uucp by xanth.cs.odu.edu with UUCP/smail2.51
-> | > (5.51/odu-gateway) id AA03002; Tue, 7 Jun 88 04:34:26 EDT
-> | >Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | >Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT
-> | >From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <postmaster@ames.UUCP>
-> | >Subject: Returned mail: Remote protocol error
-> | >Message-Id: <8806061425.AA00093@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
-> | >To: kent@xanth.UUCP
-> | >Status: R
-> | >
-> | > ----- Transcript of session follows -----
-> | >>>> DATA
-> | ><<< 550 <zodiac!cbunjiov>... Host unknown
-> | >554 sri-spam!zodiac!cbunjiov... Remote protocol error: Bad file number
-> | >
-> | > ----- Unsent message follows -----
-> | >Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:59:14 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | >Received: by xanth.cs.odu.edu (5.51/odu-gateway)
-> | > id AA17191; Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | >Message-Id: <8806060451.AA17191@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | >Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | >From: Kent Paul Dolan <kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | >To: zodiac!cbunjiov
-> | >Subject: Re: newsgroups never die.
-> | >
-> | >Charleen,
-> | >
-> | > Thanks; I got a letter from -=paul=- at UC Davis telling me the same
-> | > thing. Too bad I have such a sieve for a head; I got chewed out by
-> | > someone at UC Santa Cruise for maligning the slug, their school mascot,
-> | > but by the time it came around to supporting the proposal for alt.slug,
-> | > "smaller Ca. University" was about all I could remember. Care to send
-> | > a vote one way or the other on alt.slug?
-> | >
-> | >Kent, the man from xanth.
-> | >
-> | >[A short note in memorial of Robert Anson Heinlein, born 21 October 1907,
-> | >died 8 May 1988, provided thought provoking entertainment to millions in
-> | >the interim with his science-fiction writings. "Thou art God," Robert, and
-> | >you will be sorely missed by the generation whose ideas and ideals you
-> | >helped to mold.]
-> | >
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> Sadly, however, although this succeeded in getting into
-> wannabe.ads.com, that still wasn't enough to get the letter to
-> you:
->
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-> | From Postmaster@ads.com Fri Jun 10 18:07:22 1988
-> | Received: from sun.uucp by xanth.cs.odu.edu with UUCP/smail2.51
-> | (5.51/odu-gateway) id AA15040; Fri, 10 Jun 88 18:07:20 EDT
-> | Received: from Sun.COM (sun-arpa) by sun.Sun.COM (4.0/SMI-4.0)
-> | id AA09620; Fri, 10 Jun 88 13:17:11 PDT
-> | Received: from wannabe.ads.com by Sun.COM (4.0/SMI-4.0)
-> | id AA23853; Fri, 10 Jun 88 13:14:05 PDT
-> | Received: from SUN.COM by wannabe.ads.com (5.59/1.9)
-> | id AA06279; Fri, 10 Jun 88 13:12:34 PDT
-> | Date: Fri, 10 Jun 88 13:12:34 PDT
-> | From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <Postmaster@ads.com>
-> | Subject: Returned mail: Service unavailable
-> | Message-Id: <8806102012.AA06279@wannabe.ads.com>
-> | To: <kent@xanth.uucp>
-> | Status: R
-> |
-> | ----- Transcript of session follows -----
-> | >>> HELO wannabe.ads.com
-> | <<< 553 wannabe.ads.com I refuse to talk to myself
-> | 554 <zodiac!cbunjiov@wannabe.ads.com>... Service unavailable: Bad file number
-> |
-> | ----- Unsent message follows -----
-> | Received: from SUN.COM by wannabe.ads.com (5.59/1.9)
-> | id AA06277; Fri, 10 Jun 88 13:12:34 PDT
-> | Received: from sun.Sun.COM by Sun.COM (4.0/SMI-4.0)
-> | id AA27073; Thu, 9 Jun 88 02:19:36 PDT
-> | Received: from xanth.UUCP by sun.Sun.COM (4.0/SMI-4.0)
-> | id AA29589; Thu, 9 Jun 88 02:05:18 PDT
-> | Received: by xanth.cs.odu.edu (5.51/odu-gateway)
-> | id AA04629; Tue, 7 Jun 88 09:05:47 EDT
-> | Message-Id: <8806071305.AA04629@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | Date: Tue, 7 Jun 88 09:05:47 EDT
-> | From: Kent Paul Dolan <kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | To: zodiac!cbunjiov@wannabe.ads.com
-> | Subject: mail problems & slug response
-> |
-> | Charleen,
-> |
-> | Your mail software is emitting notes for you with a return ("From:")
-> | address of "Charleen Bunjiovianna <cbunjiov@zodiac.uucp>"; this is
-> | apparently not a sufficient address to get mail back to you.
-> | Following is the mailer's bounce message, including my original note
-> | to you. Please take the time to carry this to your mail software
-> | maintainer, so that mail from you going off site can carry a
-> | functioning return address in the future. That way you get more
-> | answers to your letters!
-> |
-> | Thanks!
-> |
-> | Kent, the man from xanth.
-> |
-> | >From postmaster@ames.UUCP Tue Jun 7 04:34:28 1988
-> | >Received: from ames.uucp by xanth.cs.odu.edu with UUCP/smail2.51
-> | > (5.51/odu-gateway) id AA03002; Tue, 7 Jun 88 04:34:26 EDT
-> | >Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | >Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 07:25:57 PDT
-> | >From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <postmaster@ames.UUCP>
-> | >Subject: Returned mail: Remote protocol error
-> | >Message-Id: <8806061425.AA00093@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
-> | >To: kent@xanth.UUCP
-> | >Status: R
-> | >
-> | > ----- Transcript of session follows -----
-> | >>>> DATA
-> | ><<< 550 <zodiac!cbunjiov>... Host unknown
-> | >554 sri-spam!zodiac!cbunjiov... Remote protocol error: Bad file number
-> | >
-> | > ----- Unsent message follows -----
-> | >Received: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:59:14 PDT by ames.arc.nasa.gov (5.59/1.2)
-> | >Received: by xanth.cs.odu.edu (5.51/odu-gateway)
-> | > id AA17191; Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | >Message-Id: <8806060451.AA17191@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | >Date: Mon, 6 Jun 88 00:51:57 EDT
-> | >From: Kent Paul Dolan <kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
-> | >To: zodiac!cbunjiov
-> | >Subject: Re: newsgroups never die.
-> | >
-> | >Charleen,
-> | >
-> | > Thanks; I got a letter from -=paul=- at UC Davis telling me the same
-> | > thing. Too bad I have such a sieve for a head; I got chewed out by
-> | > someone at UC Santa Cruise for maligning the slug, their school mascot,
-> | > but by the time it came around to supporting the proposal for alt.slug,
-> | > "smaller Ca. University" was about all I could remember. Care to send
-> | > a vote one way or the other on alt.slug?
-> | >
-> | >Kent, the man from xanth.
-> | >
-> | >[A short note in memorial of Robert Anson Heinlein, born 21 October 1907,
-> | >died 8 May 1988, provided thought provoking entertainment to millions in
-> | >the interim with his science-fiction writings. "Thou art God," Robert, and
-> | >you will be sorely missed by the generation whose ideas and ideals you
-> | >helped to mold.]
-> | >
-> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
->
-> So I'm sending it out again with enough postmasters' addresses
-> and mail barf included that maybe one of the folks responsible
-> for this not working will get upset enough to take the time to
-> fix it. One can but hope!
->
-> Kent, the man from xanth.
->
->
==============================================================================
Have I made my point? There's lots more where this came from.
Kent, the man from xanth.