Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site hou3c.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!Rudy.Nedved@CMU-CS-A.ARPA From: Rudy.Nedved@CMU-CS-A.ARPA Newsgroups: net.mail.headers Subject: smtp, errors and delivery Message-ID: <04Mar84.214333.EN0C@CMU-CS-A> Date: Sun, 4-Mar-84 21:43:00 EST Article-I.D.: hou3c.361 Posted: Sun Mar 4 21:43:00 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 6-Mar-84 02:26:03 EST Sender: ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist) Lines: 29 To: Header-People@MIT-MC A large number of sites seem to handle "mail from:" command errors by issuing the command "mail from:<>" as the next command. Considering that alot of mail is forwarded and that any mail with a null return is "droppable" if an error occurs, I don't think this is a wise way of handling "mail from" errors for the user will not get an error message. The following is an example of this code: 220 CMU-CS-A.ARPA TOPS-10 SMTP server ready 1C(50)-2 HELO bazola 250 CMU-CS-A.ARPA MAIL FROM: 500 malformed local host name 'bonzo_land', for line 'MAIL FROM:'. MAIL FROM:<> 250 Mail okay. RCPT TO: 250 Rcpt okay. DATA 354 Ready for mail. 250 Mail completed. QUIT 221 CMU-CS-A.ARPA TOPS-10 SMTP service terminating I can understand that the code was probably installed duringthe tcp transition days when alot of smtp servers were still "buggy" but I can not see a reason for it now. Is there some other reason or should I send mail to sites that have this "old code" installed? Thanks, -Rudy