[Exim] How to avoid warnings from hosts that have been off t…

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Author: Toralf Lund
Date:  
To: Exim Mailing List
Subject: [Exim] How to avoid warnings from hosts that have been off the net?
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I frequently get error messages like this [ see attachment ] from hosts
(typically laptops) that are disconnected from the net a lot.

Configuration:
- Exim 3.33 on Ret Hat Linux.
- Local deliveries disabled by leaving "local_domains" empty.
- On the MX for the domain, root is aliased to postmaster which is aliased
to me.

What happens is:
1. Someone or something, like a cron job, sends a message e.g. to root,
with sender also set to root.
2. Exim receives the message.
3. Exim will fail to transmit the message immediately because it's not
allowed to deliver it locally, and it can't contact an MX for the domain
(the host is off the net, remember.)
4. Exim will try several times to retransmit the message. At intervals, it
will send "delay" warnings to root.
5. Warnings are treated according to 1-3...
6. When the host is reconnected to the net, the original message and one
or more warnings are finally delivered, all in one go.

I want to disable these warnings as they are completely meaningless since
they aren't received until the original message has actually been
received. What is the best way to do that?

Also, I'm wondering if it might perhaps be OK to deliver messages to root
locally under certain circumstances. Any recommendations?

- Toralf
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From: Mail Delivery System <Mailer-Daemon@???>
To: root@???
Subject: Warning: message 18ztQy-0000SG-00 delayed 24 hours
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 18:25:26 +0200
Sender:

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software (Exim).

A message that you sent has not yet been delivered to one or more of its
recipients after more than 24 hours on the queue on daf.

The message identifier is:     18ztQy-0000SG-00
The subject of the message is: LogWatch for daf
The date of the message is:    Mon, 31 Mar 2003 09:10:20 +0200


The address to which the message has not yet been delivered is:

  root@???
    Delay reason: host lookup did not complete


No action is required on your part. Delivery attempts will continue for
some time, and this warning may be repeated at intervals if the message
remains undelivered. Eventually the mail delivery software will give up,
and when that happens, the message will be returned to you.
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