From: CRDGW2::CRDGW2::MRGATE::"SMTP::YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU::POSTMAST" 18-APR-1991 16:10:21.02 To: ARISIA::EVERHART CC: Subj: Interesting Banyan VINES - Wollongong TCP problem From: postmast@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU@SMTP@CRDGW2 To: Everhart@Arisia@MRGATE Received: by crdgw1.ge.com (5.57/GE 1.97) id AA19508; Thu, 18 Apr 91 15:38:06 EDT Resent-From: postmast@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU Resent-Message-Id: <9104181938.AA19508@crdgw1.ge.com> Received: from OHSTPY (STEELE@OHSTPY) by YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU with PMDF#10000; Thu, 18 Apr 1991 12:25 PDT Resent-Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1991 12:30 PDT Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1991 15:16 EDT From: ges+@osu.EDU Subject: Interesting Banyan VINES - Wollongong TCP problem Sender: "Greg Steele, OSU/ACS, (614)292-4843" To: ipmdf@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU Errors-To: postmast@YMIR.CLAREMONT.EDU Message-Id: <18D6346540200B7E@MPS.OHIO-STATE.EDU> X-Organization: Academic Computing Services, The Ohio State University X-Vms-To: IN%"ipmdf@ymir.bitnet" X-Vms-Cc: STEELE Indeed, we have been through all the VINES problems with mail header formats, only to walk off a cliff with WIN/TCP (not their fault)! Beware of this one: After much packet capturing, we finally came to this conclusion: It seems that Banyan's SMTP gateway wants to get all the headers of a message into the machine in 2 or fewer IP packets. If the header should happen to occupy MORE than 2 packets, the entire message is discarded without comment. Situation: uVax-II, VMS 5.2, JNET 3.4, WIN/TCP 5.1, PMDF 3.1 The problem is that the uVax-II is so slow that the timers that cause a packet flush go off several times during the construction of the headers! The problem does not appear to be VMS, WIN/TCP, or PMDF version-dependent. The problem does NOT occur with a Vax-8650. The 8650's headers always seem to make it in 2 packets or less... Everybody I talked to thinks that Vines is the guilty party here, ESPECIALLY since there's no notification of the dropped message sent to anyone, anywhere. No other system I've ever exchanged mail with has had a problem, either. Watch out! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gregory (Greg) E. Steele (Internet):ges+@osu.edu Network Engineer The Ohio State University (BITNET): GES+@OHSTMAIL Academic Computing Services 1971 Neil Avenue - Rm 406 Voice: 614-292-4843 Columbus, OHio 43210-1210 FAX: 614-292-7081