Some mail handler questions -not specifically linux

[Justin Bennett]

Often a domain with multiple mail servers there are priorities of each
mail server. If the primary server is unreachable a backup mail exchanger
will accept the mail, and possibly take longer to filter through, or
possibly shorter due to less load.I've noticed this for NFLUG, one a UUnet
server accepted one of my emails, and it took a few days to get to the
list. It must have UUnet as a backup for the list.If you got a reply
before the origional the replier must have gotten the origional, so the
delay was on your end, when the message was resent to the list members. I
assume Adelphia in your case? Adelphia's mail is notoriously bad. Mail
never getting delivered, weeks later, ect.

Justin

deadpoint said:
> terra.ptroc.rpa.net is a mail exchange for the domain rpa.net, which
> handles email for bluefrog.biz. from the terminal type nslookup, from
> within nslookups's "shell" do set type=MX, then enter a domain name,
> bluefrog.biz it should com back with a bunch or Mail Exchangers,
> terra.ptroc.rpa.net will be one of them. you are allow to have multiple
> MX records for redundancy.
>
> message travel faster for a number of reasons, the path it takes to the
> ISP, how the ISP has there mail system configured, etc. i see the same
> thing happen when messages are sent to my adelphia account, which makes
> me wonder how they have things configured, from all accounts they have
> things configured poorly.
>
> if you'd like to see the possible path's that an email may take to reach
>  a certain server from a terminal do traceroute www.nflug.org. each hop
> is a router that you pass through for that session. messages bounce
> around the net in the same manner. i once sent a message to myself from
> a place i use to work at, i didn't recieve the message to 5 to 6 months.
>  i'd like to have that one explained.
>
> darin
>
> green_man wrote:
>
>> Why do some messages travel "faster'" than others ?
>> I have noticed this phenomenon before in the LUG list , usually when
>> an answer from Dege arrives before the question, but I just attributed
>>  it to linux guru nirvana. What made me think of it again and ask is:
>>  I received the re: Apple Newton  reply _BEFORE_  the Apple Newton
>> question, so it was obviously somewhere to be read.
>>
>> Is terra.ptroc.rpa.net an actual "place", or is it just the name given
>>  to the address resolution part of a mail handling program ? Every
>> "Mail Undeliverable" message I have ever gotten from four different
>> ISPs has come from there.


-- 
-------------------------------------------
Justin Bennett
Red Hat (Linux) Certified Engineer
Network Administrator
Dynabrade Inc.
8989 Sheridan Dr
Clarence, NY 14031
716-631-0100 ext 215