Re: TMDA (was: new spam functionality added)

[Matt Armstrong <matt@lickey.com>]

Steinar Bang <sb@dod.no> writes:

>>>>>> Matt Armstrong <matt@lickey.com>:
>
>> Steinar Bang <sb@dod.no> writes:
>
>> All types of automatic replies should go to the envelope sender.
>
> Not _all_ types of automatic replies.
>
> Bounces should go to the envelope sender, but I can't offhand think
> of any others that should.

This isn't an authoritative reference, but this draft gives (I think)
good arguments to the contrary:

http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-moore-auto-email-response-00.txt


>> Failure to do that is how you end up with auto-replies getting sent
>> to mailing lists, etc.
>
> A proper auto-replier (I'm guessing you mean a vacation-like program
> here?) shouldn't be sending a notification in the first place, if
> the incoming message isn't addressed to the recipient.

Agreed -- this is suggested in the above mentioned draft too.


> If an auto-replier in its infinite wisdom decides to send a
> notification anyway, it shouldn't send it to the envelope address,
> which in this case is the list manager.  It should send it to the
> address in the From: field, which is supposed to be the address of
> the person that sent the message to the list.

I disagree with you here.  The list admin is in a better position to
kick the offending user off the list or otherwise fix the problem.

The current debian 'vacation' program replies to the envelope sender,
and I assume it has been that way for a long time.  So there is some
historical precedent as well.


>> Probably best to fix your envelope sender.
>
> The envelope sender in question, was the default envelope
> configuraton for exim in debian woody.  AFAIR it was the same as the
> default envelope in SuSE 6.2, ie. username@FQDN.
>
> Some people would debate that this is the correct value for the
> envelope sender.

I assumed the envelope sender you were using wasn't actually reaching
you.

If so, I'd call that a configuration error.  I think it is reasonable
to expect the envelope sender to be valid -- the SMTP bounce and
delivery status mechanisms depend on it.