Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!sdcsvax!brian
From: brian@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Brian Kantor)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: mailq output
Message-ID: <4246@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: Tue, 3-Nov-87 23:23:22 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.4246
Posted: Tue Nov  3 23:23:22 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Nov-87 07:01:47 EST
References: <619@hubcap.UUCP> <111@bacchus.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: brian@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Brian Kantor)
Organization: UCSD wombat breeding society
Lines: 15
Keywords: what does this mean?

Often you'll see the 'bad file number' when the smtp socket closed
unexpectedly.  Most often around here we see it when the connection to
the host timed out while sendmail was doing a read on the socket - I
have the read timeout set short to keep large numbers of sendmails from
sitting idly by gasping in hope that yet another byte will be received
across the internet.  Occasionally you'll see it when the distant
mailer (sendmail or another) died for some reason and reset the
connection.

Most of these are transient problems.  If you keep seeing it,
especially when it is repeated on a specific piece of mail, it may be an
indication of an underlying mail or network problem.

	Brian Kantor	UCSD Office of Academic Computing
			Academic Network Operations Group  
			UCSD B-028, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA