[exim] exim rejecting fetchmail's smtp mail from with error …

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Author: bruce robson
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: [exim] exim rejecting fetchmail's smtp mail from with error 501

I am running exim on Debian Linux and exim sometime rejects the MAIL FROM: line

telnet localhost 25
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 compaq.bnsrobson.cjb.net ESMTP Exim 4.69 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:28:11 +0100
MAIL FROM:
501 : domain missing or malformed


The address is also rejected by exim4 -bvs
# /usr/sbin/exim4 -bvs ''
syntax error: domain missing or malformed


The debug option doesn't seem to give any more information about what caused the rejection
# /usr/sbin/exim4 -d -bvs ''
Exim version 4.69 uid=0 gid=0 pid=3826 D=fbb95cfd
Berkeley DB: Berkeley DB 4.6.21: (September 27, 2007)
Support for: crypteq iconv() IPv6 GnuTLS move_frozen_messages
Lookups: lsearch wildlsearch nwildlsearch iplsearch cdb dbm dbmnz dnsdb dsearch nis nis0 passwd
Authenticators: cram_md5 plaintext
Routers: accept dnslookup ipliteral manualroute queryprogram redirect
Transports: appendfile/maildir/mailstore autoreply lmtp pipe smtp
Fixed never_users: 0
Size of off_t: 8
changed uid/gid: forcing real = effective
uid=0 gid=0 pid=3826
auxiliary group list:
seeking password data for user "uucp": cache not available
getpwnam() succeeded uid=10 gid=10
configuration file is /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated
log selectors = 00000ffc 00612001
trusted user
admin user
changed uid/gid: privilege not needed
uid=101 gid=103 pid=3826
auxiliary group list: 103
seeking password data for user "mail": cache not available
getpwnam() succeeded uid=8 gid=8
user name "root" extracted from gecos field "root"
originator: uid=0 gid=0 login=root name=root
sender address = root@???
Verifying: uid=101 gid=103 euid=101 egid=103
syntax error: domain missing or malformed
search_tidyup called
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Exim pid=3826 terminating with rc=2>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



I found that the following is also rejected
# /usr/sbin/exim4 -bvs ''
syntax error: domain literals not allowed


I'm using a configuration file generated by the Debian installer. I've looked at it and can't
find anything in there that causes the rejection. The acl for the smtp MAIL command
doesn't appear to check the email address given. Neither of the strings 'missing or malformed'
or 'literals not allowed' is present in /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated or under /etc/exim4.


I want to receive the emails. How do I turn off exim's rejection of them?


p.s. What's actually happening is that the email was originally sent via smtp to a remote
pop3 mailbox. This means that the original MAIL FROM: sender has been discarded. The
program fetchmail is now reading the email from the pop3 mailbox and sending it on to exim.
Fetchmail has to extact the sender address to use from headers present in the pop3
mailbox. Fetchmail does have a valid RCPT address as its configuration files tell it which
local user owns the pop3 mailbox. The problem occurs because the original sender didn't
put a correct sender address in the headers.

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