On Wed, 03 Nov 1999 22:06:32 CST, Philip Kizer <[log in to unmask]>  said:
> >... while talking to carriage.chesco.com.:
> >>>> MAIL From:<> SIZE=274
> ><<< 553 <>... @
> >501 <[log in to unmask]>... Data format error

This is one of 3 or 4 different broken MAIL FROM:<> rejections
I see commonly.  Interestingly enough, that host claims to be
running Sendmail 8.9.1, which indicates that this one was
intentionally self-inflicted (as opposed to sites running packages
that inflict this by vendor choice).

What I did was:

1) Coded up a standard form letter, explaining what they were
doing wrong, why it was wrong, and what problems it caused.

2) If I see one, I send the form letter for the first 2-3 times around.

3) If they keep doing it, they get added to one of my procmail filters
so further bounces get dropped on the floor. I've been averaging some
600+ mail/day the last few weeks, so automation is of the essence.. ;)

                                Valdis Kletnieks
                                Operating Systems Analyst
                                Virginia Tech