RE: [cobalt-users] [Qube 3] Mail Sending Problem

["Andy Brown" <andy.brown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian R. Poppenwimer [mailto:popper@xxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 05 October 2001 5:05 PM
> To: cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [cobalt-users] [Qube 3] Mail Sending Problem
> 
> 
> ->------Original Message-----
> ->-Hi,
> ->-The first thing I'd try is to re-recreate the problem more
> ->-frequently if
> ->-possible. Try from one of the affected users machines, and 
> ->-telnet to the
> ->-qube's port 25
> ->-(on an ms system, just start > run and type in telnet 
> 192.168.0.1 25)
> ->-See how quickly it responds and issue a HELO command and see 
> ->-how long it
> ->-responds.
> ->-This helps you determine whether it is indeed the 
> network/sendmail on
> ->-the Qube or whether it's the windows client slowing up on 
> ->-its connection
> ->-time.
> ->-
> ->-Andy
> ->-http://www.linuxnetworking.co.uk/
> ->-
> 
> 	Had tried that, but did it again just for the hell of 
> it, it takes from about a minute to 2 minutes for it to start 
> working so I can type in the HELO command
> 
> Here is the ps showing that it is starting up but sitting 
> there for a while.  It goes into startup almost immediately, 
> but then sits there for a while.
> 
> root     29048  0.0  0.9  2492 1228 ?        S    10:00   
> 0:00 sendmail:
> accepting connections
> root      4574  0.0  0.9  2508 1260 ?        S    11:46   
> 0:00 sendmail:
> startup with 192.168.1.76
> 
> And then after about 1 to 2 minutes you can see it goes into 
> command mode, or however you title it in the sendmail world. =)
> 
> root     29048  0.0  0.9  2492 1228 ?        S    10:00   
> 0:00 sendmail:
> accepting connections
> root      4574  0.0  1.2  2652 1552 ?        S    11:46   
> 0:00 sendmail:
> server [192.168.1.76] cmd read
> admin     4673  0.0  0.3  1208  416 pts/2    S    11:48   0:00 grep
> sendmail
> 
> Thanks, any more things to check?
> 
> ---Brian R. Poppenwimer
> ---popper@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
> ->-
> ->-
> ->-> -----Original Message-----
> ->-> From: Brian R. Poppenwimer [mailto:popper@xxxxxxxxxx]
> ->-> Sent: 05 October 2001 3:18 PM
> ->-> To: cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ->-> Subject: [cobalt-users] [Qube 3] Mail Sending Problem
> ->-> 
> ->-> 
> ->-> Hey,
> ->-> 	I am having an odd problem with a Qube 3, it has just
> ->-> started recently within the last couple of weeks, Users at 
> ->-> random times will get timeout messages when trying to send 
> ->-> mail.  No problem checking mail, but sending timesout.  
> ->-> 	Where should I start looking for this problem.  This 
> ->-> server had been running for a couple of months prior to this 
> ->-> without a problem.  It is has about 75 users, really only 
> ->-> about 25 actually use it.  It is acting as a gateway, dhcp 
> ->-> server and dns server and email server.  I will hopefully be 
> ->-> unloading the gateway and dhcp server duties by next month.  
> ->-> Is it handling too much?  What can cause this type of 
> ->-> timeout, and why is it so intermittent, it will work for a 
> ->-> while and then cause problems for a while.  What settings 
> ->-> should I be looking for.  I monitor this list closely, and I 
> ->-> have gone through the archives and the Cobalt knowledgebase 
> ->-> and looked through everything that looks faintly familiar. At 
> ->-> a loss, ---Brian
> ->-> 
> ->-> ==========================================
> ->-> Brian R. Poppenwimer, CNE, MCP
> ->-> popper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ->-> Director Of Computer Operations
> ->-> Nelson & Pope
> ->-> www.nelsonpope.com
> ->-> 


Probably not the case, but have you checked the DNS records for the
remote machines?? As typical time-outs like you're describing sound
classic of failing DNS.
Quick test is for the example above, getting onto the rack and doing an
nslookup on their address and see if it can resolve the IP address to a
host-name. If not, then that could be the heart of the problem here.


Hopefully some pointers!! Can't come up with anything more specific.

Andy
http://www.ineedlinux.info