RE: [Exim] Stopping out-of-office auto-reply mail loops

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Author: Edgar Lovecraft
Date:  
To: 'Exim User's Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [Exim] Stopping out-of-office auto-reply mail loops
> Eli said:
>

..[snip]...
> I would like to ask that you refrain from rude and unconstructive
> statements and comments against others on the list. I am sure it is
> your intention to merely correct people or try to voice your opinion or
> view, but the way that you come across is really quite unproductive.
> You cause flame wars and stir up hatred amongst others on the list. If
> you feel the need to personally attack someone because they think a
> certain way, or want to do something in a fashion that contradicts your
> beliefs (or even rules that are set out in RFCs or the like), please do
> it to that person directly, and keep it off the list.
>

Greg 'may' come off as being rude at times, but go back throught the
history of his posts on matters that concern ?proper? RFC SMTP mail
implementation and you will see that his arguments and points are very well
presented and NOT offenseive or rude, but then again, how many times so you
have to explain something to someone before they start thinking that you
are bieng rude.
>
> I, like many others I'm sure, have signed up to this list to discuss
> Exim and items that relate to Exim in a constructive and benefitting way
> to everyone that has subscribed to the list. There is no need or reason
> to your statements which I quoted above - they could have been ommitted
> completely without reducing the effect of your statements.
>

How have his statements not been related to Exim?? Exim is an MTA and that
is what is being discussed...
>
> I wish I didn't have to come across like a list maintainer, and I
> cerntainly don't have the authority to tell you what's right or wrong,

Then don't...
>

..[snip]...
> *everything* you've said so far. If it is, please show us *your* exim
> config lines so we can see how you've done it.

..[snip]...
>
> Eli.

--
and just for the record, here is what i use in Exim 4.xx for
autoreply/vacation message delivery and I have not ever had a problem in
3+ years.
(Please note that this is in a completely virtual user environment)
##Router##
uservacation:
driver = redirect
allow_filter
hide_child_in_errmsg
ignore_eacces
ignore_enotdir
reply_transport = vacation_reply
no_verify
require_files = <location_to_user_spool_directory>/.vacation.msg
file = <location_to_user_spool_directory>/.vacation.msg
user = exim
group = exim
unseen
##Transport##
vacation_reply:
driver = autoreply

--Sample Vacation.msg File--
# Exim filter
if ($h_subject: does not contain "SPAM?" and personal) then
 mail
##### This is the only thing that a user can set when they      #####
##### decide to enable vacation messaging. The vacation.msg.txt #####
 expand file <location_to_user_spool_directory>/.vacation.msg.txt
 once <location_to_user_spool_directory>/.vacation.db
 log <location_to_user_spool_directory>/.vacation.log
 once_repeat 7d
 to $reply_address
 from $local_part\@$domain
 subject "This is an autoreply...[Re: $h_subject:]"
endif
--End Sample Vacation.msg File--


..From the Exim Manual...
http://www.exim.org/exim-html-4.30/doc/html/spec.html
..
The autoreply transport is not a true transport in that it does not cause
the message to be transmitted. Instead, it generates another mail message.
It is usually run as the result of mail filtering, a "vacation" message
being the standard example. However, it can also be run directly from a
router like any other transport. To reduce the possibility of message
cascades, messages created by the autoreply transport always have empty
envelope sender addresses, like bounce messages.
..and...
If the autoreply transport receives return code 2 from Exim when it submits
the message, indicating that there were no recipients, it does not treat
this as an error. This means that autoreplies sent to $sender_address when
this is empty (because the incoming message is a bounce message) do not
cause problems. They are just discarded.

--EAL--