I know that 'computer' is just another word for 'black magic'. Nevertheless could somebody explain this: Yesterday in the evening I received a strange piece of junk mail from my Listserv: --------------- here it comes -------------------------------------- Received: by DB0TUI11 (Mailer X1.23) id 4349; Tue, 07 Apr 87 21:19:40 MEZ Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1987 21:16 MEZ Reply-To: The Revised LISTSERV Distribution List <LSTSRV-L@DEARN> Sender: Local redistribution of LSTSRV-L list <LSTSRV-L@DB0TUI11> From: "Revised List Processor (1.5i)" <LISTSERV@DB0TUI11> Subject: Output of your job "LSTSRV-L" To: Thomas Habernoll <HABERNOL@DB0TUI11> > From: IN%"Revised List Processor <[log in to unmask]>" 7-APR-1987 12: 53 Unknown command -- "FROM:". Try HELP. All subsequent commands have been flushed. --------------- here it goes -------------------------------------- Some hours later Eric (you know this built-in mail server at FRECP11 :-) forwarded a piece of junk mail from his Listserv: --------------- here it comes -------------------------------------- UH???? /ERIC Received: by FRECP11 (Mailer X1.23b) id 2435; Tue, 07 Apr 87 21:19:54 SET Date: Tue, 07 Apr 87 21:19:53 SET From: Network Mailer <MAILER@FRECP11> Subject: Undelivered mail To: LISTSERV@FRECP11 Your mail was not delivered to some or all of its intended recipients for the following reason(s): Syntax error in field- To --------------------RETURNED MAIL FILE-------------------- Received: by FRECP11 (Mailer X1.23b) id 2434; Tue, 07 Apr 87 21:19:53 SET Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1987 21:19 SET From: Revised List Processor (1.5j) <LISTSERV@FRECP11> Subject: Ack: Output of your job "LSTSRV-L" To: "\"Revised List Processor (1.5i)\"" <LISTSERV@DB0TUI11> Statistics for LSTSRV-L mailing (Revised LISTSERV discussion forum): Total number of (non-local) outbound files: 2 Total number of outbound 80-chars records: 24 Total resulting network load (link.kbytes): 8.44 --------------- here it goes -------------------------------------- And what's Listserv's opinion (cited from its log file)? 7 Apr 1987 20:53:54 Processing mail from JRLYMAN@CSUGREEN for TCPIP-L 7 Apr 1987 20:53:59 Mailing created 13 outbound files (1 local copies) for 15 re cipients. 7 Apr 1987 20:54:00 Sent information mail to JRLYMAN@CSUGREEN 7 Apr 1987 20:54:01 Sent information mail to JRLYMAN@CSUGREEN 7 Apr 1987 21:16:20 Received file (4319) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:16:22 Processing mail from ERIC@FRECP11 for LSTSRV-L 7 Apr 1987 21:16:24 Mailing created 0 outbound files (1 local copies) for 1 reci pients. 7 Apr 1987 21:16:30 Received file (4321) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:16:32 Processing mail from WGRCU@CUNYVM for LSTSRV-L 7 Apr 1987 21:16:34 Mailing created 0 outbound files (1 local copies) for 1 reci pients. 7 Apr 1987 21:16:39 Received file (4328) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:16:41 From LSTSRV-L@DEARN: From: IN%"Revised List Processor <LIS [log in to unmask]>" 7-APR-1987 12:53 7 Apr 1987 21:16:41 To LSTSRV-L@DEARN: * Unknown command -- "FROM:". Try HELP. 7 Apr 1987 21:16:41 Sent information mail to LSTSRV-L@DEARN 7 Apr 1987 21:19:01 Received file (4333) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:19:02 Processing mail from DPL1646@IRISHVM for LSTSRV-L 7 Apr 1987 21:19:04 Mailing created 0 outbound files (1 local copies) for 1 reci pients. 7 Apr 1987 21:19:10 Received file (4335) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:19:11 Processing mail from SCHAFER@RICE for LSTSRV-L 7 Apr 1987 21:19:13 Mailing created 0 outbound files (1 local copies) for 1 reci pients. PUN FILE 4348 FROM MAILER COPY 001 NOHOLD 7 Apr 1987 21:19:32 Received file (4348) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:19:33 Acknowledgement mail from LISTSERV@DEARN has been discarded. 7 Apr 1987 21:19:36 Received file (4346) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:19:38 Processing mail from LISTSERV@DB0TUI11 for LSTSRV-L 7 Apr 1987 21:19:39 Mailing created 0 outbound files (1 local copies) for 1 reci pients. * Your mail file (4346) was successfully processed for list LSTSRV-L. PUN FILE 4353 FROM MAILER COPY 001 NOHOLD 7 Apr 1987 21:20:39 Received file (4353) from MAILER@DB0TUI11 7 Apr 1987 21:20:41 Acknowledgement mail from LISTSERV@EB0UB011 has been discard ed. So what's happened yesterday at 21:16 Central European Time? Somewhere in a dark corner of may brain there is a guess that IN%"some stuff" belongs to VAXMail as a vehicel to denote internet addresses. Do you know what your VAX is doing just now? Or was it Eric testing his RFC822 software? :-) Thomas