Re: [Exim] Synchronization Error

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Author: Nigel Metheringham
Date:  
To: Rory Campbell-Lange
CC: exim-users
Subject: Re: [Exim] Synchronization Error
On Tue, 2004-01-27 at 12:31, Rory Campbell-Lange wrote:
> A uu.net fallback host is generating the following errors in my logs:
>
>     2004-01-27 10:15:21 SMTP protocol violation: synchronization error
>     (input sent without waiting for greeting): rejected connection from
>     H=lfallback2.lnd.ops.eu.uu.net [195.129.12.216]


I've seen a good few of those myself recently...

The message is given when an incoming SMTP session sends a command
before the initial 220 SMTP greeting has been issued.

These result from:-
      * Pump & dump spammers (ie connect to you and push a pile of stuff
        at you without worrying about little niceities of the protocol)
      * Open HTTP relays
      * Excessive delays on your box returning a SMTP banner - maybe due
        to long DNS timeouts, RFC1413 timeouts (especially when the
        caller is behind a firewall that drops port 113) or explicit
        delay statements.  This means the calling box may fire a QUIT
        command at you before you have put out a banner because it got
        tired of waiting.  This is  particular problem with other hosts
        doing sender callback verification


I ended up tcpdump-ing connections from the host that was giving me
piles of these when I saw the problem yesterday (that was down to a
RFC1413 delay which was longer than the callers callback verification
timeout).

    Nigel.


--
[ Nigel Metheringham           Nigel.Metheringham@??? ]
[ - Comments in this message are my own and not ITO opinion/policy - ]