[cobalt-users] Re: Qube3: Sendmail Error: collect: premature EOM

[Peter Frederick <pfred@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 10:19:56 -0800, you wrote:

>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA1
>
>> We are currently experiencing inbound SMTP errors from a particular
>> site that show up in our maillog:
>>
>> Jan 14 06:51:37 mail sendmail[1731]: h0EBfaa01731: collect:
>> premature EOM: Error 0
>> Jan 14 06:51:37 mail sendmail[1731]: h0EBfaa01731: collect:
>> unexpected close on connection from [206.112.71.232],
>> sender=<info@xxxxxxxx>: Error 0 Jan 14 06:51:37 mail
>> sendmail[1731]: h0EBfaa01731: from=<info@xxxxxxxx>, size=1147,
>> class=0, nrcpts=1, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA,
>> relay=[206.112.71.232]
>
>Found this 'answer' via Google:
>

Hi Bruce

>"It appears that remote end just didn't politely end its connection, 
>or was disconnected, or had connectivity problems after it completely 
>sent its message."
>
>> sendmail sub-processes (created to handle the inbound message) seem
>> to hang around increasing the load on the qube3. They are in pairs
>> and eventually sendmail times out and puts the above messages in
>> the maillog file.
>
>I'm guessing that the USDA's mail server (or wherever these messages 
>are actually coming from) isn't behaving 'nicely'... but I don't 
>think it's anything to worry about (aside from your process/load 
>issue).

We used to get mail from them without any issues but I suspect that
something has changed at their end.

>
>See if you can get in touch with 'postmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx' and let 
>them know... if they're messing with your server, they're probably 
>messing with lots of others too, and don't even know...

I have had an email exchange with them but will try again. I figured that
this email list has probably seen most things that can go on :*)

>
>(As an interesting aside, I tried telnetting to port 25 on the IP 
>address listed, but nothing 'answers'... so if it _is_ a mail server, 
>something is definitely 'unusual' about it...)

I tried that as well - I thought originally there was a routing issue
because I couldn't traceroute to it and pings failed (could be firewall
issue). However telnet to it worked fine on port 25 but it doesn't want to
talk SMTP at all. In fact I get this

Escape character is '^]'.
help
HELO
421 SMTP service not available, closing transmission channel
Connection closed by foreign host.

I have a feeling it is an Exchange server.

Thanks for your help Bruce (and Parker privately) - I'll contact them again
and see if they have any further suggestions!



Peter Frederick
MIS Director, Indiana Packers Corp, Delphi IN
Phone: (765) 564-9705   Fax: (765) 564-3684
Work: pfred@xxxxxxxxx
Home: pjfred@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
============================================================================
'Tis better to light one candle than to curse the darkness a thousand times!