One of my list's (SAG-L) subscribers is having a problem with his posts to
the list.  His mail system constructs mail headers in such a fashion that
LISTSERV is unable to determine who sent the message and what the subject
is.  A sample posting will have mail headers like the following:

Content-Identifier: 00A4C33A065C7009
Content-Return: Allowed
X400-Content-Type: P2-1988 ( 22 )
Conversion: Allowed
Original-Encoded-Information-Types: IA5-Text
Priority: normal
Disclose-Recipients: Prohibited
Alternate-Recipient: Allowed
X400-Originator: [log in to unmask]
X400-Recipients: non-disclosure;
Message-Id:
  <00A4C33A065C7009*/c=us/admd=imx/prmd=domain.name/o=co/ou=MSMail/s=LASTNAME/g=FirstName/i=D/@MHS>
Date: 12 Jun 1997 14:10:31 -0700
From: "User Name" <[log in to unmask]>
To: Software AG Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Subject goes here
MIME-Version: 1.0

I have narrowed the problem down to the fact that his mail system folds
(wraps to a new line) the long Message-Id: header line immediately after
the "Message-Id:" header tag.  In the original message, that header line
contains:

 "Message-Id:" (space) (CR) (LF) (space) (space) "<00A4C33....>" (CR) (LF)

LISTSERV appears to ignore all headers past this header, which includes
the important From: and Subject: headers.  When LISTSERV distributes the
message to the list subscribers, it indicates that the message came from
an unknown origin, and does not provide a Subject header.

I checked RFC822 out pretty carefully, and my literal interpretation of
the syntax for mail headers says that folding is permitted *within* the
text that follows the header tag, but does not appear to define a valid
syntax that allows folding between the header tag and its subsequent text.

Of course, my interpretation is at odds with my subscriber's postmaster.
And, indeed, some of our own mail systems appear to allow the folding
anywhere on the line.

Who's at fault here?

-David L. Merrifield             E-mail: [log in to unmask]
 University of Arkansas                  [log in to unmask]
 SAG-L List Owner