sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Laura Conrad]

I can reproduce this at will.  When I attempt to email an aol customer 
via smtpmail with a cvs gnus from yesterday afternoon, gnus hangs and
cannot be interrupted by ^G.  

Here's the lisp backtrace:

Lisp backtrace follows:

  open-network-stream-internal("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP session to taz*"> "taz" 25)
  # bind (service host buffer name)
  open-network-stream("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP session to taz*"> "taz" 25)
  byte-code("..." [get-buffer-create format "*trace of SMTP session to %s*" host process-buffer erase-buffer open-network-stream "SMTP" port process throw done nil set-process-filter smtpmail-process-filter make-local-variable smtpmail-read-point smtpmail-read-response greeting 400 smtpmail-send-command "HELO %s" smtpmail-fqdn response-code "MAIL FROM: <%s>" user-mail-address 0 n recipient "RCPT TO: <%s>" "DATA" smtpmail-send-data smtpmail-text-buffer "." t] 7)
  # (catch done ...)
  # (unwind-protect ...)
  # bind (process host port response-code greeting process-buffer smtpmail-text-buffer recipient)
  smtpmail-via-smtp(("tysontsuru@aol.com") #<buffer " smtpmail temp">)
  # (unwind-protect ...)
  # (unwind-protect ...)
  # bind (errbuf tembuf case-fold-search resend-to-addresses delimline mailbuf)
  smtpmail-send-it()
  # (unwind-protect ...)
  # (unwind-protect ...)
  # bind (tembuf case-fold-search news mailbuf arg)
  message-send-mail(nil)
  # bind (arg)
  message-send-via-mail(nil)
  # bind (alist success elem sent arg)
  message-send(nil)
  # bind (buf actions arg)
  message-send-and-exit(nil)
  # bind (command-debug-status)
  call-interactively(message-send-and-exit)
  # (condition-case ... . error)
  # (catch top-level ...)
[1]  + 3346 terminated  xemacs

The relevant part of my .gnus file:

(setq smtpmail-default-smtp-server "taz")
(setq smtpmail-local-domain nil)
(setq send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it)
(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it)

-- 
Laura (mailto:lconrad@world.std.com , http://www.world.std.com/~lconrad/ )
(617) 661-8097	fax: (801) 365-6574 
233 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Shenghuo ZHU]

>>>>> "LC" == Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:

LC> I can reproduce this at will.  When I attempt to email an aol customer 
LC> via smtpmail with a cvs gnus from yesterday afternoon, gnus hangs and
LC> cannot be interrupted by ^G.  

LC> Here's the lisp backtrace:

LC> Lisp backtrace follows:

LC>   open-network-stream-internal("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP session to taz*"> "taz" 25)
LC>   # bind (service host buffer name)
LC>   open-network-stream("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP session to taz*"> "taz" 25)

[...]

It seems your machine can not connect with taz.

-- 
Shenghuo ZHU

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Laura Conrad]

>>>>> "SZ" == Shenghuo ZHU <zsh@cs.rochester.edu> writes:

>>>>> "LC" == Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:
    LC> I can reproduce this at will.  When I attempt to email an aol
    LC> customer via smtpmail with a cvs gnus from yesterday
    LC> afternoon, gnus hangs and cannot be interrupted by ^G.

    LC> Here's the lisp backtrace:

    LC> Lisp backtrace follows:

    LC> open-network-stream-internal("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP
    LC> session to taz*"> "taz" 25) # bind (service host buffer name)
    LC> open-network-stream("SMTP" #<buffer "*trace of SMTP session to
    LC> taz*"> "taz" 25)

    SZ> [...]

    SZ> It seems your machine can not connect with taz.

I just started writing a long list of proofs that I can connect with
taz, and decided that maybe there had been an aberration in the
network which caused the problem, and went away in time for all the
other things to work.  This turned out to be the case; I have now sent 
mail from gnus to the subscriber I had trouble with earlier this
morning.

I don't think that changes the fact that it's a bug if a temporary
failure to connect to the smtp host hangs gnus so that it can't be
interrupted, and continues to hang after the connection is restored.
This was in fact the case; while the hang was occurring, I was able to 
execute "telnet taz smtp" successfully.


-- 
Laura (mailto:lconrad@world.std.com , http://www.world.std.com/~lconrad/ )
(617) 661-8097	fax: (801) 365-6574 
233 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Shenghuo ZHU]

>>>>> "LC" == Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:


[...]

LC> I just started writing a long list of proofs that I can connect
LC> with taz, and decided that maybe there had been an aberration in
LC> the network which caused the problem, and went away in time for
LC> all the other things to work.  This turned out to be the case; I
LC> have now sent mail from gnus to the subscriber I had trouble with
LC> earlier this morning.

LC> I don't think that changes the fact that it's a bug if a temporary
LC> failure to connect to the smtp host hangs gnus so that it can't be
LC> interrupted, and continues to hang after the connection is
LC> restored.  This was in fact the case; while the hang was
LC> occurring, I was able to execute "telnet taz smtp" successfully.

Could you send a backtrace which does not stop in open-network-stream?

If it stops somewhere in smtpmail, it is unlikely to be a bug in Gnus.

-- 
Shenghuo ZHU

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Laura Conrad]

>>>>> "ZSH" == Shenghuo ZHU <zsh@cs.rochester.edu> writes:

>>>>> "LC" == Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:

    LC> I don't think that changes the fact that it's a bug if a
    LC> temporary failure to connect to the smtp host hangs gnus so
    LC> that it can't be interrupted, and continues to hang after the
    LC> connection is restored.  This was in fact the case; while the
    LC> hang was occurring, I was able to execute "telnet taz smtp"
    LC> successfully.

    ZSH> Could you send a backtrace which does not stop in
    ZSH> open-network-stream?

    ZSH> If it stops somewhere in smtpmail, it is unlikely to be a bug
    ZSH> in Gnus.

I take it back that I can reproduce the problem at will.  But the two
times I could reproduce it, it stopped in the same place.  

On previous versions of gnus, I would often get a message back saying
that there was a problem connecting to SMTP.   This wasn't happening
this morning; our system manager says there were some overloads on taz 
this morning that were leading to 30 second connection times.

I really think something might have happened to smtp mail in the CVS
since last week.

I'm sure it's true there's something screwed up about the smtp mail
server, but this isn't a very graceful way of dealing with it.

I believe you if you say the problem might not be in gnus, but as far
as I know, the only thing that's changed since last week is the CVS
version of gnus.

-- 
Laura (mailto:lconrad@world.std.com , http://www.world.std.com/~lconrad/ )
(617) 661-8097	fax: (801) 365-6574 
233 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Shenghuo ZHU]

>>>>> "LC" == Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:


[...]

ZSH> Could you send a backtrace which does not stop in
ZSH> open-network-stream?

ZSH> If it stops somewhere in smtpmail, it is unlikely to be a bug
ZSH> in Gnus.

LC> I take it back that I can reproduce the problem at will.  But the two
LC> times I could reproduce it, it stopped in the same place.  

LC> On previous versions of gnus, I would often get a message back saying
LC> that there was a problem connecting to SMTP.   This wasn't happening
LC> this morning; our system manager says there were some overloads on taz 
LC> this morning that were leading to 30 second connection times.

LC> I really think something might have happened to smtp mail in the CVS
LC> since last week.

LC> I'm sure it's true there's something screwed up about the smtp mail
LC> server, but this isn't a very graceful way of dealing with it.

LC> I believe you if you say the problem might not be in gnus, but as
LC> far as I know, the only thing that's changed since last week is
LC> the CVS version of gnus.

stmpmail is not a part of Gnus. Seeking in the ChangeLog, nothing has
been changed in those functions related to SMTP since pgnus started.

-- 
Shenghuo ZHU

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Gunnar Evermann]

Laura Conrad <lconrad@gamesville.com> writes:

> I take it back that I can reproduce the problem at will.  But the two
> times I could reproduce it, it stopped in the same place.  

I think when it always stops in Fopen_network_stream_internal() we can
pretty much rule out a Gnus bug.

How long did you wait before killing XEmacs?

> On previous versions of gnus, I would often get a message back saying
> that there was a problem connecting to SMTP.   This wasn't happening
> this morning; our system manager says there were some overloads on taz 
> this morning that were leading to 30 second connection times.
> 
> I really think something might have happened to smtp mail in the CVS
> since last week.
>
> I'm sure it's true there's something screwed up about the smtp mail
> server, but this isn't a very graceful way of dealing with it.

yes, I agree.

> I believe you if you say the problem might not be in gnus, but as far
> as I know, the only thing that's changed since last week is the CVS
> version of gnus.

well, maybe your mail server wasn't broken/overloaded last week?

what OS are you running? It might even be an OS bug. It's not entirely
unheard of, that an OS doesn't gracefully handle flaky
networks/servers.


  Gunnar (trying hard to blame somebody else, before it's suggested that
          this is an XEmacs bug -- which it very well might be :-)

Re: sending to aol via smtp hangs gnus

[Laura Conrad]

>>>>> "Gunnar" == Gunnar Evermann <ge204@eng.cam.ac.uk> writes:

    Gunnar> I think when it always stops in
    Gunnar> Fopen_network_stream_internal() we can pretty much rule
    Gunnar> out a Gnus bug.

    Gunnar> How long did you wait before killing XEmacs?

I think I went and got a cup of coffee and maybe looked at a web page
or two.  Probably between 5 and 10 minutes.

    >> I believe you if you say the problem might not be in gnus, but
    >> as far as I know, the only thing that's changed since last week
    >> is the CVS version of gnus.

    Gunnar> well, maybe your mail server wasn't broken/overloaded last
    Gunnar> week?

I don't know how to tell whether the problems I had with smtp last
week, which were handled gracefully, were the same as the ones I had
this morning, which were not.  

    Gunnar> what OS are you running? It might even be an OS bug. It's
    Gunnar> not entirely unheard of, that an OS doesn't gracefully
    Gunnar> handle flaky networks/servers.

Both my system and the server are RedHat Linux, with kernel-2.2.5-15.


-- 
Laura (mailto:lconrad@world.std.com , http://www.world.std.com/~lconrad/ )
(617) 661-8097	fax: (801) 365-6574 
233 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139