🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: vmsnet.mail.pmdf
Article #781

Empty MAILSERV list causes error message

#781
From: rollo.ross
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 06:21
34 lines
2261 bytes
	I've just noticed that an empty local MAILSERV distribution list
causes PMDF to return an error message to anyone who sends a message to it.
The error message says, for example:

>The message could not be delivered to:
>
>Addressee: PACS-L-FORWARD
>Reason:
>  Illegal host/domain in address "PACS-L-EXPAND"
>  no addressees in

	While I can see some value in warning a human that a distribution
list is empty, in this case the distribution list was a redistribution of
an overseas list. It seems a bit risky to send error messages back to a
list server just because the normal ebb and flow of subscriptions to our
own list had resulted in it being empty at the time. Some list maintainers
can be trigger-happy when it comes to dropping entries from their lists!

	Our local list was set up as:

PACS-L: PACS-L-FORWARD
PACS-L-EXPAND: <PMDF_MAILSERV_MAIL_DIR:PACS-L.DIS, PACS-L-ERROR
PACS-L-REQUEST: MAILSERV
PACS-L-ERROR: POSTMASTER

	Is there some way of arranging that only the local postmaster
gets the error message in this special case of an empty MAILSERV list?
Or do I have to put a dummy address in each DIS file to make sure it
never becomes empty?

                                    Rollo Ross, Network Manager (CLW campuses)

Computer Centre,  University of South Australia, The Levels, SA 5095, Australia
Ph +61 8 302 3158 Fax 302 3385 DTE 505282622004  Rollo.Ross@Levels.UniSA.Edu.Au
Technical Details
Message-ID: <01GTFRST2D9U9FMIBB@Levels.UniSA.Edu.Au>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!mccall!ipmdf-newsgate!list

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!mccall!ipmdf-newsgate!list
Newsgroups: vmsnet.mail.pmdf
Subject: Empty MAILSERV list causes error message
Message-ID: <01GTFRST2D9U9FMIBB@Levels.UniSA.Edu.Au>
From: rollo.ross@levels.unisa.edu.au
Date: 12 Jan 1993 16:51:46 +1030
Sender: Rollo Ross <CCAJR@Levels.UniSA.Edu.Au>
Organization: University of South Australia
Return-Path: <epmdf@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU>
Resent-Date: 12 Jan 1993 16:51:46 +1030
Resent-From: epmdf@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU
Errors-To: epmdf@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU
Resent-Message-ID: <01GTEPT1Y6VM8WWB57@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU>
X-Vms-To: IN%"info-pmdf@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU"
X-Vms-Cc: CCAJR
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
Lines: 34