We have several hundred domains that do dialup SMTP to us. They connect,
issue a finger command that triggers queue runs on each of our mail relays
running exim 1.82. Occasionally we have users who complain that mail for
their domain is bouncing with a "retry timeout exceeded" message, etc. And
that's fine since 90% of those cases are ones where they either are not
connecting often enough, have not been triggering queue runs, or if they
have their server still isn't accepting SMTP connections. However I've
gotten two reports over the last two days where their mail is being
returned despite the occasional message being delivered properly to their
server. I'll include one example below.
The appropriate retry rule:
# Relay retry rules.
* timeout_DNS F,4h,15m; G,20h,2h,1.5; F,5d,8h
Log entries (slightli snipped):
1998-03-17 05:59:46 Start queue run: pid=7621 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 08:00:16 Start queue run: pid=16575 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 10:02:11 Start queue run: pid=28630 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 12:24:40 0yF06R-0004FI-00 mail.etitraining.com
[198.115.177.121]: Connection refused
1998-03-17 12:24:40 0yF06R-0004FI-00 == pnickolas@???
T=remote_smtp defer (146): Connection refused
1998-03-17 12:24:40 0yF06R-0004FI-00 ** pnickolas@???: retry
timeout exceeded
1998-03-17 12:25:51 0yF07a-0004IC-00 <= DNelson@???
H=exchange1.wtgi.com [205.216.34.254] P=esmtp S=889
id=60A7FBBEC914D111BBCD00600804265B1C5BCC@EXCHANGE1
from <DNelson@???> for ddiperri@???
1998-03-17 12:25:51 0yF07a-0004IC-00 mail.etitraining.com
[198.115.177.121]: Connection refused
1998-03-17 12:25:51 0yF07a-0004IC-00 == ddiperri@???
T=remote_smtp defer (146): Connection refused
1998-03-17 12:25:51 0yF07a-0004IC-00 ** ddiperri@???: retry
timeout exceeded
1998-03-17 12:49:13 Start queue run: pid=20372 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 14:49:49 Start queue run: pid=5406 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 16:05:34 Start queue run: pid=14406 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 16:54:49 Start queue run: pid=21065 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 16:56:52 0yF4LB-0005Xd-00 <= carlc@??? U=carlc P=local
S=514 from <carlc@???> for postmaster@???
1998-03-17 16:56:55 0yF4LB-0005Xd-00 => postmaster@???
R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp H=mail.etitraining.com [198.115.177.121]
[snip]
1998-03-17 22:33:44 0yF9ZZ-0006TY-00 == postmaster@???
T=remote_smtp defer (146): Connection refused
1998-03-17 22:33:44 0yF9ZZ-0006TY-00 ** postmaster@???: retry
timeout exceeded
1998-03-17 22:36:23 Start queue run: pid=25456 -R etitraining.com
1998-03-17 22:38:21 0yF9gL-0006fK-00 <= twells@??? U=twells P=local
S=542 from <twells@???> for postmaster@???
Basically they're starting queue runs but their box was refusing
connections. However at 16:56 one of our staff sent mail to
postmaster@??? to test things and it was delivered. When I did
the same thing later in the evening, it was returned to me.
So under what conditions does the hints database get reset for a domain?
Is this an example of a problem with it getting reset properly for a
domain? And more importantly what can I do to further troubleshoot and/or
fix it?
Thanks in advance,
Tabor
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Tabor J. Wells twells@???
Shore.Net Systems Admin. Just another victim of the ambient morality
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