Re: [Exim] DNS "query failed" and "timeout" messages

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Author: Philip Hazel
Date:  
To: Phil
CC: exim-users
Subject: Re: [Exim] DNS "query failed" and "timeout" messages
On Fri, 15 Feb 2002, Phil wrote:

> Let's say there's an e-mail on the queue whose host can't be resolved by the
> DNS servers. Would such an e-mail remain on the queue, so that Exim
> continues again and again for days on end with all DNS servers available, to
> try to resolve the e-mail's domain name?


Yes. It would continue to try at intervals controlled by the retry rule,
until it ran out of retry time. The default timeout is 4 days.

> If I was told that one e-mail with an un-resolvable domain name could
> produce many many many DNS "query failed" and "timeout" messages in the Exim
> logs, then I'd feel more comfortable.


Please feel more comfortable.

> At the moment though, seeing all
> those "query failed" and "timeout" messages, it feels like there's something
> very wrong with something.


There usually is, but it isn't usually your problem. People screw up DNS
servers or network connectivity on a regular basis. It it's just one
domain, it is almost certainly NYP. Now, if it's all or most domains,
that's different.

> from the console log...
>
> Mac OS X Version 10.1.1 (Build 5M28)
> Feb 13 10:17:40 localhost last message repeated 7 times
>
> Feb 13 10:21:40 localhost lookupd[201]: Caught SIGHUP - reset
>
> Feb 13 10:22:09 localhost lookupd[201]: DNSAgent: dns_send_query_server -
> timeout for 198.6.1.4


Those are not Exim messages. They would appear to be from your local DNS
resolver, which Exim calls. Looks like you've got it looking these
incidents. You'll probably find matching entries in the Exim log if you
look there.

--
Philip Hazel            University of Cambridge Computing Service,
ph10@???      Cambridge, England. Phone: +44 1223 334714.