Major bug: reproducible failure to send to some domains

HCL Notes/Domino 8.5 Forum (includes Notes Traveler)

Subject: Major bug: reproducible failure to send to some domains

Feedback Type: Problem

Product Area: Domino Server

Technical Area: Error Message

Platform: Windows 2003 server

Release: 8.5

Reproducible: Intermittent

This has been reported for some time, on several versions of Domino, and still it occurs on 8.5.

The problem in a nutshell is that the router task intermittently tries to send email to the domain name, rather tan the MX record. A fundamental issue for a router task, IMHO.

I have some info that should lead to a resolution, but it is not rocket science.

It seems that when we get this error it is always that the Router task is reporting that it cannot send email to the host which is the DOMAIN. eg ACME.COM instead of MAIL.ACME.COM
These domains all have one thing in common: there is a DNS entry present which resolves the name of the domain to a different server from the mail server.
Consider this example:
www.acme.com resolves to 111.111.111.111
acme.com resolves to 111.111.111.111
mail.acme.com resolves to 222.222.222.222 as an MX record

(This is done so that people using browsers do not need to put in the "www")

What the Domino Router task seems to sometimes be doing is to use the name of the domain instead of the correct MX record. It does this randomly, and will not re-query the DNS until a router restart.

here are examples of log entries (old, but the symptoms have not changed)
...
01/07/2008 12:00:12 AM Router: No messages transferred to EXPERIENT-INC.COM (host EXPERIENT-INC.COM) via SMTP: The server is not responding
...restart the router...
01/07/2008 12:00:40 AM Router: [00000007] Transferring mail to domain EXPERIENT-INC.COM (host mail.global.sprint.COM [216.32.181.22]) via SMTP

Note how the entry in brackets is dramatically different - different machines. Hardly surprising that the mail banks up when it is not trying to go to the correct host.

If you want more details, pls email me: jcantor@netforce.com.au as I am very keen to get this fixed.

Feedback number WEBB7R6C7P created by ~Joseph Dwoluvitchobu on 04/16/2009

Status: Open
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