>I'm trying to determine whether there is anything I can do about the
>following error.  The address has returned the "HOST UNKNOWN" message
>for at least two weeks.  I tried TELNET NCC.UP.PT 25 and got a host
>unknown message as expected.  Is there anything else I might do before
>deleting the subscriber from our list?
 
I used DiG to interrogate the 3 authoritative name servers for the MX
and A records.  Name server ciup2.ncc.up.pt is returning TWO "A"
records with the same IP address but different TTLs.  According to a
local expert, this is invalid.
 
The hostmaster for this domain is [log in to unmask]  You might not be able
to reach him/her since (s)he has the same FQDN as your "problem" mail.
 
I'm cc:ing another hostmaster for an authoritative related DNS..
 
BTW, you can never Telnet to an FQDN that only exists as an MX record,
so the inability to TELNET to that kind of host name is not significant
to this problem.
 
DiG reveals that the mail exchanger is
 
      ciup1.ncc.up.pt
 
--  co-owner INFOSYS, TQM-L, CPARK-L, ERAPPA-L, JANITORS, LDBASE-L, et -L
[log in to unmask] "Spam-lite, is it Kosher?"   s/me      +1 814 863 1843
31 Shields Bldg. -- Penn State Univ -- University Park, PA 16802-1202 USA
 
>Thanks in advance.
 
>Bob
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Robert Ponterio                  | [log in to unmask]
> co-manager of FLTEACH            | State Univ. of New York Cortland
> Foreign Language Teaching Forum
 
 
>>------------------------------ Message in error                              -
>------------------------------
>>Received: from UBVM (NJE origin SMTP@UBVM) by UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU (LMail
>>          V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 2961; Mon, 10 Oct 1994 10:23:55 -0400
>>Received: from PTEARN.CC.FC.UL.PT by UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2)
>>   with TCP; Mon, 10 Oct 94 10:23:50 EDT
>>Date: Mon, 10 Oct 94 16:26:00 PRT
>>From: [log in to unmask]
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Undeliverable Mail
>>
>>Error in Batch SMTP Command Sequence.
>>Unable to deliver mail to some/all recipients.
>>Reply codes with first digit = '4' or  '5' are error replies:
>>
>>220 PTEARN.CC.FC.UL.PT running IBM VM SMTP R1.2.1 on Mon, 10 Oct 94 16:25:58
>PRT
>>050 HELO PTEARN.CC.FC.UL.PT
>>250 PTEARN.CC.FC.UL.PT is my domain name.  Yours too, I see!
>>050 MAIL FROM:<[log in to unmask]>
>>250 OK
>>050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
>>250 OK
>>050 RCPT TO:<[log in to unmask]>
>>550 Host 'NCC.UP.PT' Unknown
>>050 DATA
>>354 Enter mail body.  End by new line with just a '.'
>>250 Mail Delivered
>>050 QUIT
>>221 PTEARN.CC.FC.UL.PT running IBM VM SMTP R1.2.1 closing connection
>>
>>           ** Text of Mail follows **
 
>* TEXT DELETED *