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Re: vpopmail bouncing problems

2002-12-04 23:52:27

BTW, what he was trying to do is make an RFC 1123, paragraph 5.3.3,
compliant standard MTA bounce, i.e., a bounce to the envelope return
path of a message; the bounce containing a null Return-Path: record.

RFC 1123 is quite specific that if a message is undeliverable, for any
reason, it absolutely must be bounced in that manner. The null
Return-Path: record tells the remote MTA that it is not to reply to,
(i.e., create a potential loop,) nor forward, nor permit into any
mailing list, etc., the bounce; it must be delivered locally at the
remote MTA, (which is why one seldom sees a mailer-daemon to
mailer-daemon loop.)

It is absolutely the only permissible situation where an MTA can drop
a message, (i.e., the return path address was forged, and the remote
MTA can not reply to the bounce.)

Its too bad that the vacation/out of the office bounces, (meaning,
specifically, Lotus/Notes,) do not follow the standard, and end up
sending a lot of junk through mailing lists, etc. (which is what
nbari(_at_)unixmexico(_dot_)com was concerned about,)

        John

BTW, although nbari's questions were specific to qmail, most MTAs have
similar functionality. For example in postfix, procmail EXITCODE=67,
for addressee unknown, EXITCODE=77 for permission denied bounces. I
think its the same for sendmail, (but this should be verified-anyone
know for sure?) For example, in a ~/.procmailrc script that has
postfix as an MTA, and there is someone, (like your mother,) you don't
ever want to hear from:

    :0
    * ^from:[ ]+mom(_at_)someisp(_dot_)com
    {
        EXITCODE=77
        :0
        /dev/null
    }

would bounce mom a "permission denied" RFC 1123 paragraph 5.3.3
compliant bounce that you didn't get the message because the MTA
didn't have permission to deliver it to you. (Why mom? search through
Syd Weinstein's ELM man pages for the invention of the kill file.)

gary-list-procmail(_at_)mygirlfriday(_dot_)info writes:
On Thu, Dec 05, 2002 at 04:45:27AM +0000 or thereabouts, John Conover wrote:
An example:

    In ~/.qmail:

        |preline /usr/bin/procmail
        |/var/qmail/bin/bouncesaying 'Sorry, go away'

    And, as a simple example, in ~/.procmailrc, (or
    /etc/procmailrc):
        
    EXITCODE=99
    #
    :0
    * ^from:[ ]+(_dot_)*conover(_at_)rahul\(_dot_)net
    conover
    #
    :0
         * ^sender:[ 
]+(.*[^-0-9a-z._+=?*])*procmail-admin(_at_)lists\(_dot_)rwth-aachen\(_dot_)de
        # address.
        #
        EXITCODE=0
        #
        :0
        /dev/null
    }

Great example John.  Even though I was not the original questioner on
this, it does give me food for thought, and another way to skin the
proverbial cat.  Thank you.

-- 

John Conover, conover(_at_)rahul(_dot_)net, http://www.rahul.net/~conover

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