> To all UCP-L members: > > I have received the following undelivered mail messages this past > week which seem to stop the rest of the list from getting the mail. > If anyone has any ideas why, I would be very happy to hear them so > we can get on with discussions. > Thanks, > Jim... > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > From: Network Mailer <MAILER@AWIWUW11> > > Mail to MAILER is not allowed. > Error loop detected. > Another network mailer sent an invalid file. > > Validity check failed. Alas, I know too well what your trouble is. It has become a bothersome point for many of us, due to the explosion of LISTSERVs around the globe. The "Validity check failed" message is generated by the Crosswell Mailer, run at most VM sites on BITNET. This mailer purports to know the names of all other mailers, and thus can decide on the truth or falsehood of the From: and Sender: lines in the message header. When this mailer receives a file from a user@node that is not in the Known Mailers list, it checks that address against the From: and Sender: fields. If there is no match, the Mailer returns the file to it's source rather than forward it. When the file arrives back home, one of several things may happen. If you also run the Crosswell Mailer, the file will return to it, and be transferred to your Postmaster, with the message that "Mail to MAILER is not allowed. Error loop detected. Another network mailer sent an invalid file." If you don't run this mailer, then the file probably returned to LISTSERV. Eric Thomas, God bless 'im, has code in LISTSERV that recognizes these "Returned Mail Files", and transfers them to the LISTSERV Postmaster, rather than send them out to the whole list, as some other list servers do. The solution to your problem is twofold. First, if you use the Crosswell Mailer, change your MAILER PROFILE to send mail to users on the rejecting systems directly, thus bypassing the sick mailer. To do so, add an entry to your MAILER MAILLCL file, for each of these sick nodes, which says: <nodename> <nodename> ? DEFRT 1 Then run the MG program to rebuild MAILER PROFILE, and restart MAILER. Second, and more important, contact the postmaster at each of these nodes (their names, mail addresses, and phone numbers are in BITEARN NODES) and tell, do not ask, them to get a fresh copy of XMAILER NAMES from their favorite server (NICSERVE@BITNIC or NETSERV@lots-of-places) and to rebuild their MAILER PROFILE. Once the've done so, you can try sending mail to someone on their system and see if the problem persists. If not, delete their entry from your MAILER MAILLCL file, and rebuild your MAILER PROFILE, so that your mailer will send via theirs. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help, or if I seem incoherent. Ross Patterson Rutgers University Center for Computer and Information Systems ATT et. al.: (201) 932-3435 BITNET : A024012@RUTVM1 ARPANet : A024012%RUTVM1.BITNET@WISCVM Snail Mail : PO Box 879, Piscataway, NJ 08854