[exim] incoming data timeouts

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Author: Ryan Cartwright
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: [exim] incoming data timeouts
Hi all,

Exim version 4.63 running on Debian Etch (2.6.17-2).

I've been scouring the archives and FAQs and found some similar issues
but not exactly matching this one and I am still a little confused so
with apologies if I have missed a solution, here goes...

We have inconsistent inbound data timeouts from a particular remote
host. Both our (exim) server and their (I assume MS Exchange) server
report the data timeout and this leads me to believe the problem is a
networking connection issue between the two. However as said the
problem is inconsistent and does not seem to be message size or sender
related as other messages from the same user at the remote host will
have no problem getting through.

The following message is received by their sender client from the remote
server:

barracuda.merton.gov.uk #4.0.0 X-Spam-Firewall; host
relay.cafamily.org.uk[80.68.87.37] said:    421 ratspen.cafamily.org.uk
SMTP incoming data timeout - closing    connection. (in reply to end of
DATA command)

This is the corresponding entry in our mainlog :

2007-03-25 14:41:19 1HVStP-0003TV-H1 SMTP data timeout (message
abandoned) on connection from mailout.merton.gov.uk
(barracuda.merton.gov.uk) [212.85.21.203]
F=<[obfuscated.address]@merton.gov.uk>

At first I had only seen the latter and assumed the remote server was
timing out before the end of the DATA command but the message from the
remote server says that it at least thinks it has sent the end of the
DATA command.

The sender is being told by their IT people that the problem is at our
end and although I am not convinced it is I am keen to try and resolve
it (or at least do a little more to help). In other posts I have seen
mention of MTU and tcp_ecm. I imagine the smtp_receive_timeout would
make no difference here.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why this might be occurring, whether there
is anything I can do and what that might be?

many thanks
--
Ryan Cartwright - IT Manager
Contact a Family - http://www.cafamily.org.uk
Registered Charity No 284912. Company Limited by guarantee No. 1633333
Registered Office: 209-211 City Rd, London. EC1V 1JN
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