On Wed, Mar 28, 2007 at 02:44:43PM -0400, Bob Johnson wrote:
[snip correct diagnosis of problem that is extensively discussed in the
 RFCs for SMTP]
> I think the sending system should have a timeout longer than 60 seconds, but 
> even so, this is a bug in Exim.  At the moment I can't find a log entry that 
> illustrates it, though.

No, this is not a bug in Exim. Remember that the timing of a TCP stream
isn't entirely synchronous, based on the fact that you have a certain
window of "in flight" data. As I say in my note above, there is extensive
discussion of this issue, and the RFC (and IETF standard) mandated
minimum timeout for a response to the final dot is 10 minutes, and has been
since 1980.

You could potentially call it a bug in SMTP if you like, but it is a
well-known and well-documented bug, and SMTP was designed with it based
on the fact that the aim was to design a reliable email protocol. The
sending side only gives up the responsibility for delivering the message
when it's absolutely sure that the other side has accepted that
responsibility.

Cheers

MBM

-- 
Matthew Byng-Maddick          <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>           http://colondot.net/
                      (Please use this address to reply)

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