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Re: retry question (was: 2821bis/ter and procedures)

2008-08-09 08:19:41

At 08:29 PM 8/8/2008, Hector Santos wrote:
>On the contrary, I'm not.  Though that is what I believe this
>discussion as turned into.  They are two separate things.
>
>Maybe I misread the statement from you.  A DATA response of 55x does
>not means the RCPT 45x <c> reply can be interpreted as a retry for
>this transaction.

The reply code in the data phase applies to all valid recipients.

And more to the point, it does NOT apply to recipients that receive a 5yz
(invalid) or 4yz (neither invalid or valid) response.

In the example, there was only one valid recipient (b).  The reply code
for c means that the recipient is neither valid or invalid.  The code
also suggests that it was a policy decision.

Right, but it really doesn't matter what sort of decision it was. Suppose the
directory server needed to validate the aadress is down, leading to a "resource
unavailable" sort of error. Things play out the same in that case.

The server would have sent a 550 if it viewed b as invalid.

Correct.

If you interpret c as invalid because of the 554 reply code, then you
end up turning the 450 reply code in the RCPT TO into a 550 reply code.

Exactly.

>IOW, if a DATA 55x, 45x is issued, there is no expectation of
>delivery for anyone.  But you can retry <c> if the DATA was 45x -
>thats a client retry decision.  The server can only hope it doesn't
>try to repeat <b> (a DUPE) or bother with permanently rejected <d>.

You would have to retry b and c if the reply code for the "end of
message" was a 4yz.

But not <d>.

                                Ned

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