mail delivery problems...

[Mark Longo <longo@swanky.zk3.dec.com>]

> > I received several Emails requesting info on Peter Frampton, EL&P and Hall 
> > & 
> > Oates.  For some reason, the net doesn't allow some routed answers -- 
> > "undeliverable" keeps coming back. So-- for those interested: 
> [...]
> >
> > Al
> 
> does anyone else ever get gene's messages, or is it just me who doesn't 
> see anything when he sends?
> 
>                               bri..
> 
> --bdodds@jyacc.com


        I've seen all the referenced mails.  If you've missed some, you eith 
accidentally deleted them, you're having problems with you mail or your mail 
server, your mailbox is full or, much less likely, there's a problem on the 
internet backbone somewhere between you and the Hammond list server.  To my 
knowledge the Hammond list server has had no problems transmitting postings to 
the internet.  What happens to the messages once they leave the Hammond list 
server and enter the internet backbone is beyond my control.  Digital is a key 
internet backbone server and I'm confident that all Hammond list postings reach 
the internet.
        
        If you post mail to the hammond server from your subscribed address and 
you don't get returned mail specifically saying that "hammond@zk3.dec.com" is 
unreachable, you may be confident that your mail has been sent out by the list 
server.  You will normally see your posting arrive back at your mailbox as part 
of the normal list distribution, which is further indication that your mail was 
sent out to the list.  Because of net delays, it can take a long time for the 
mail to get back to your mailbox; please be patient.
        
        The mail you send to "hammond@zk3.dec.com", is re-sent to each and 
every 
subscriber on the Hammond list by the list server software.  Normally, a small 
percentage of the subscribers will not recieve that mail either because of mail 
delivery problems, their mailboxes are full, their net addresses have changed, 
etc.  Since there are hundreds of list members, this "small percentage" may at 
times be as many as a dozen subscribers, or in rare cases even more.  In the 
case of the hammond list, when a mail server along the way it fails to deliver 
the mail, it returns a message to the original sender, rather than the list 
server.  This mail message will usually give an indication of why the mail 
could 
not be delivered, such as "mailbox full", "host unreachable", "mail 
undeliverable", or something similar.  These returns indicate that a list 
member 
that did not get your mail, are normal, and don't indicate that you did 
anything 
wrong.
        
        In many cases, other internet distribution lists do a better job of 
filtering out these messages so that the person posting the original message 
never sees them.  Unfortunately, I'm unable to make the Hammond list server do 
this filtering completely at this time (though SOME filtering is being done).  
I 
don't have complete control of the list server software itself, and those who 
do 
are VERY busy elsewhere.

        I hope this clarifies things a bit.
        
        Mark

---------------------- \\ .. \\ ========
  m a r k  l o n g o    longo@zk3.dec.com
                         digital equip corp