Adi Linden <adil(_at_)adis(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca>:
Hi,
I am using fetchmail to consolidate many email accounts into a single
inbox. I noticed that some messages are not properly deliverd. The
messages that 'disappear' have defective Return-Path headers. Here is an
example header of a message that fetchmail chokes on (it's an error
message generated by sendmail on a server I administer):
Return-Path: <@mail.knet.ca>
X-Sieve: cmu-sieve 2.0
Received: from localhost (localhost)
by mail.knet.ca (8.11.6/8.11.2) id h82E4u607162;
Tue, 2 Sep 2003 10:17:24 -0500
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2003 10:17:24 -0500
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON(_at_)mail(_dot_)knet(_dot_)ca>
Message-Id: <200309021517(_dot_)h82E4u607162(_at_)mail(_dot_)knet(_dot_)ca>
To: postmaster(_at_)mail(_dot_)knet(_dot_)ca
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
boundary="h82E4u607162.1062515844/mail.knet.ca"
Subject: Postmaster notify: see transcript for details
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated (postmaster-notification)
Here is the verbose log of what happens when fetchmail processes this type
of message:
fetchmail: IMAP> A0024 STORE 1 +FLAGS (\Seen \Deleted)
fetchmail: IMAP< * 1 FETCH (FLAGS (\Deleted \Seen))
fetchmail: IMAP< A0024 OK Completed
fetchmail: IMAP> A0025 EXPUNGE
fetchmail: IMAP< * 1 EXPUNGE
fetchmail: IMAP< * 4 EXISTS
fetchmail: IMAP< * 0 RECENT
fetchmail: IMAP< A0025 OK Completed
fetchmail: IMAP> A0026 FETCH 1 RFC822.HEADER
fetchmail: IMAP< * 1 FETCH (RFC822.HEADER {604}
reading message 8 of 11 (604 header octets)
fetchmail: SMTP> MAIL FROM:<@mail.knet.ca> SIZE=108757
fetchmail: SMTP< 553 5.1.3 <@mail.knet.ca>... User address required
fetchmail: SMTP error: 553 5.1.3 <@mail.knet.ca>... User address required
fetchmail: SMTP< 220 yoda.adis.on.ca ESMTP Sendmail 8.11.6/8.11.6; Tue, 2
Sep 2003 16:47:39 -0500
fetchmail: SMTP> HELO localhost
fetchmail: SMTP< 250 yoda.adis.on.ca Hello localhost [127.0.0.1], pleased
to meet you
fetchmail: SMTP> MAIL
FROM:<FETCHMAIL-DAEMON(_at_)yoda(_dot_)adis(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca>
fetchmail: SMTP< 250 2.1.0
<FETCHMAIL-DAEMON(_at_)yoda(_dot_)adis(_dot_)on(_dot_)ca>... Sender ok
fetchmail: SMTP> RCPT TO:<@mail.knet.ca>
fetchmail: SMTP< 553 5.1.3 <@mail.knet.ca>... User address required
fetchmail: SMTP> RSET
fetchmail: SMTP< 250 2.0.0 Reset state
fetchmail: IMAP< )
fetchmail: IMAP< A0026 OK Completed
From reading the fetchmail man page, I understand that fetchmail examines
the mail headers to deterime a proper from address for the envelope. How
properly retrieve and deliver these messages? Note that this is a busy
mailbox and these sendmail generated emails make up only a small part of
the overall emails.
Look at the log. Your problem is not fetchmail. The mail is garbled,
your sendmail is quite properly complaining, and fetchmail is doing what
it's supposed to with a permanent error. You need to get mail.knet.ca
to fix their broken software.
--
<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/";>Eric S. Raymond</a>