Re: [exim] strange log entries: no IP address found for host…

Top Page
Delete this message
Reply to this message
Author: Philip Hazel
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] strange log entries: no IP address found for host smtp05.host.com (during SMTP connection from NULL)
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005, Marc Sherman wrote:

> > Here's a repost with excerpts from today's exim_mainlog file, un-edited:
> > This entry is logged over 30,000 times per day in the exim_mainlog:
> > 2005-12-28 09:36:50 no IP address found for host
> > smtp05.dc2.safesecureweb.com (during SMTP connection from NULL)
>
> The NULL is perplexing to me; that's up to Philip to answer, I guess.
> Possibly an SMTP connection from localhost?


Odd. I'll investigate that one. It should be giving the IP address (and
from localhost it should be 127.0.0.1).

> > Entries such as these are logged 300-400 times per day:
> > 2005-12-28 16:51:08 no IP address found for host
> > smtp05.dc2.safesecureweb.com (during SMTP connection from
> > (81.161.250.78) [81.161.250.78])
>
> The rest, on the other hand, is specifically because the host name
> you've given (smtp05.dc2.safesecureweb.com) does not resolve in the DNS.
> That name probably appears in your configs in a hostlist somewhere,
> which cannot be properly initialized:
> http://www.exim.org/exim-html-4.60/doc/html/spec.html/ch10.html#SECTbehipnot


Or, Exim looked up an incoming IP address in the rDNS, and was given
that name. It double-checks by looking it up to see if it gets the IP
address it started from. However 81.161.250.78 seems perfectly OK and
does not use that name:

$ host 81.161.250.78
78.250.161.81.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer FDIBA10100-2.tu-sofia.bg.
$ host FDIBA10100-2.tu-sofia.bg
FDIBA10100-2.tu-sofia.bg has address 81.161.250.78
$

> Using IPs in the config as Giuliano suggested is just a workaround. The
> real solution is for you to fix your DNS problem.


It does seem to be a local DNS problem.



-- 
Philip Hazel            University of Cambridge Computing Service
Get the Exim 4 book:    http://www.uit.co.uk/exim-book