Returned mail

[Greg Nenych gnenych@ncrcan.canada.ATTGIS.COM]

>Your mail could not be delivered because of the following reason:
>
>   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
>Executing: /usr/lib/mail/surrcmd/smtpqer -B -C -u ncrausl1.Australia.NCR.COM!ncrhub4!ncrgw1!cse.psu.edu!9fans msm2syd bduane@msm2syd
>smtpqer: Binary contents cannot be sent via SMTP

smtpqer is part of the stock SVR4 SMTP software.  When SVR4's rmail invokes
smtpqer (via mailsurr) and smtpqer gags on the message, rmail punts the
message to, in this case, the address in the Reply-To: line.  Sadly, the
recipients don't even realize that this is happening.

This is possibly a configuration issue since I am using the same(?) SMTP
software and, as far as I know, messages to me have not bounced.  (I receive
the original message as well as the bounces)

dhog@plan9.cs.su.oz.au writes:
> Is there any way to disable this message?

Probably.  However, the offending message did not have a "Content-Length:"
line or anything else to clue the mailer in to the fact that the message
had non-7bit-ascii contents.

> If the software at NCR (sysv upas??) is going
> to bounce such mail, it should at least go to the envelope sender, and
> not the entire list.

Mailers have several things to choose from including "From ", "From: ", and
"Reply-To: ". Do (or should) any of them use "Sender: "?

Not adding the "Reply-To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu" header might make the problem
go away.

> Fans of Plan 9 _want_ to be able
> to send 8 bit (utf) characters, and most smtp agents will let them (the "cannot"
> in the message is patently false).

Actually, that's 8/16 bit UTF characters depending on the encoding.
This stuff will cause even more problems for netnews when, hopefully, this
list will be gatewayed into comp.os.plan9.
-- 
Greg Nenych   <greg.nenych@canada.attgis.com>
AT&T Global Information Solutions Canada Ltd.