Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!CITHEX.CALTECH.EDU!carl
From: carl@CITHEX.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Test to ignore.
Message-ID: <871209024442.01k@CitHex.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 9 Dec 87 10:54:29 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 30


 > This is only a Test, because I have problems in sending messages to
 > INFO-VAX@kl.sri.com, the ARPA-gateway tells me, that the info-vax adress
 > is invalid, but on the contrary it DELIVERS the mail (sometimes)!!!
 > ????

Are you sure you're interpreting the failed mail messages properly?
There are almost always some addresses on the info-vax distribution list
that are invalid for one of the following reasons:
	1)  The machine to which the message is addressed is not connected
	    to the network (it might be down, it might be in the process
	    of a software upgrade and the mailer isn't working yet, there
	    might be trouble with a communications device, or a machine
	    through which it connects to the net might have one of these
	    problems); or
	2)  The account to which the mail is addressed might no longer exist,
	    or the disk on which its mail is to be sent mignt not be mounted,
	    etc.); or
	3)  A mailer somewhere between the subscriber and INFO-VAX might
	    have mangled the address at the time of the subscription.
If such invalid addresses exist, then you'll see bounced mail messages,
even though your message arrived at info-vax.  This is because the ARPA
specification for mail doesn't include the idea of an "ERRORS TO:" address
(which is what should be used for failed mail messages in the case of a
teleconference).  Instead, there is only the "MAIL FROM:" address, which
is normally the address of the original sender.   Some mailers implement
a "Reply To:" address, which the info-vax teleconference defines to be
INFO-VAX@KL.SRI.COM, or something like that; this causes some brain-damaged
mailers to send failed-mail messages back to the teleconference, thence
back to the bad address..., ad nauseum.