Xref: utzoo comp.mail.headers:344 news.admin:2095 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!dik From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) Newsgroups: comp.mail.headers,news.admin Subject: Re: Forwarded mail headers Message-ID: <7544@boring.cwi.nl> Date: 9 May 88 00:28:57 GMT References: <13853@brl-adm.ARPA> Organization: CWI, Amsterdam Lines: 137 (The subject is quite apt.) We (and probably everybody) received a number of articles in comp.mail.headers a number of times. The base article came here with the following paths in the headers (split across lines for your edification): 1. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!n8emr!lwv 2. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr! > lwv@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU 3. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr! > lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU@brl-adm.arpa 4. > Path: mcvax!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm! > osu-cis!n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 5. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr! > lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 6. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr! > lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@ > brl-adm.arpa 7. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr! > lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 8. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!osu-cis! > n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 9. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > osu-cis!n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 10. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > osu-cis!n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@ > brl-adm.arpa 11. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > adm!osu-cis!n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm (Where is the final .arpa? I cannot reply to this!) 12. > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > adm!adm!osu-cis!n8emr!lwv%TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%@BRL.ARPA (A subtle variation.) It is getting a bit repetitious, and not only in the header. Without evidence to the contrary, I believe there is a problem at brl-adm. Of course, the followup has undergone the same massaging, but the subject changed too: 1. > Subject: \"forwarded mail format\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm! > jsol@bu-it.bu.edu 2. > Subject: \\"forwarded mail format\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu@brl-adm.arpa 3. > Subject: \\\"forwarded mail format\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu% > brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 4. > Subject: \\\\"forwarded mail format\\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 5. > Subject: \\\\\"forwarded mail format\\\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 6. > Subject: \\\\\\"forwarded mail format\\\\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 7. > Subject: \\\\\\\"forwarded mail format\\\\\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > jsol%bu-it.bu.edu%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa 8. > Subject: \\\\\\\\"forwarded mail format\\\\\\\\" > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!umd5!brl-adm!adm!adm!adm!adm!adm! > adm!adm!adm!jsol%bu-it.bu.edu%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa% > brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa%brl-adm.arpa@brl-adm.arpa Until now we got only 8 of those; still more to come I believe. Of course, this was not all; there was the standard message from some postmaster who couldn't deliver his stuff and replied to the mailing list. This one starts just drippling in; we only got 2: 1. > Subject: [postmaster@utadnx.cc.utexas.edu: Mail Delivery Problem] > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!jsol@bu-it.bu.edu (Why this path? I would expect it to come from postmaster.) 2. > Subject: [postmaster@utadnx.cc.utexas.edu: Mail Delivery Problem] > Path: mcvax!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!adm! > jsol%bu-it.bu.edu@brl-adm.arpa Now I am waiting for some postmaster to think he cannot deliver this mail from a postmaster, and sends back to the mailing list. It looks like an explosion. Is this an attempt to clutter up the network (something like a verification of the load it can handle?). (How many times will I see my article?) -- dik t. winter, cwi, amsterdam, nederland INTERNET : dik@cwi.nl BITNET/EARN: dik@mcvax