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getting php mail error info

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  getting php mail error info GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> - 2014-02-12 23:50 +0000
    Re: getting php mail error info Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2014-02-12 22:30 -0500
    Re: getting php mail error info Michael Vilain <vilain@NOspamcop.net> - 2014-02-12 23:16 -0800
      Re: getting php mail error info Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-02-13 13:42 +0000
        Re: getting php mail error info Allodoxaphobia <knock_yourself_out@example.net> - 2014-02-14 04:21 +0000
        Re: getting php mail error info Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2014-02-14 06:44 -0500
          Re: getting php mail error info Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-02-14 15:00 +0000
            Re: getting php mail error info "Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> - 2014-02-15 12:54 -0600
              Re: getting php mail error info Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2014-02-16 01:06 +0000
              Re: getting php mail error info Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2014-02-15 20:24 -0500
    Re: getting php mail error info Derek Turner <frderek@cesmail.net> - 2014-02-13 11:25 +0000

#12813 — getting php mail error info

I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call 
returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true 
or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from 
sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it 
bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail 
calls I could use in the PHP manual.

This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the 
linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my 
userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP 
5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.

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#12814

On 2/12/2014 6:50 PM, GS wrote:
> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call
> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true
> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from
> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it
> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail
> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
>
> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the
> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my
> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP
> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.
>

GS,

Unfortunately, all PHP gets back from sendmail is true or false - 
whether sendmail accepted the request or not.

Any further information would have to come from the sendmail logs; I 
suggest you contact your hosting company to see what they changed, and 
perhaps a copy of their sendmail logs.

-- 
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

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#12817

In article <XnsA2D2F27E54CEFR2D2@127.0.0.1>,
 GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> wrote:

> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call 
> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true 
> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from 
> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it 
> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail 
> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
> 
> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the 
> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my 
> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP 
> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.

mail() is all you're gonna get in a shared hosting facility.  If you 
want to extend php or using a cgi script to send the mail, that's up to 
your ISP if they'll allow it.  But I would tend to doubt it.

Your next option is a vps where you can setup your own dedicated server 
and run whatever you want on it.  Usually more expensive but it's your 
call on if it's worth it.

-- 
DeeDee, don't press that button!  DeeDee!  NO!  Dee...
[I filter all Goggle Groups posts, so any reply may be automatically ignored]

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#12820

Michael Vilain <vilain@NOspamcop.net> writes:

> In article <XnsA2D2F27E54CEFR2D2@127.0.0.1>,
>  GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call 
>> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true 
>> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from 
>> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it 
>> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail 
>> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
>> 
>> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the 
>> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my 
>> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP 
>> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.
>
> mail() is all you're gonna get in a shared hosting facility.

I've used one shared hosting provided that offered the PEAR Mail module
which could be used to connect to whatever SMTP server you liked (one of
which was their own).  It was a while ago, but I think you get better
error messages from it, though nothing is going to beat getting the
server's logs for diagnosing the problem.

<snip>
-- 
Ben.

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#12822

On Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:42:14 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
> Michael Vilain <vilain@NOspamcop.net> writes:
>>  GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call 
>>> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true 
>>> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from 
>>> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it 
>>> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail 
>>> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
>>> 
>>> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the 
>>> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my 
>>> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP 
>>> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.
>>
>> mail() is all you're gonna get in a shared hosting facility.
>
> I've used one shared hosting provided that offered the PEAR Mail module
> which could be used to connect to whatever SMTP server you liked (one of
> which was their own).  

+1

Jonesy

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#12825

On 2/13/2014 8:42 AM, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
> Michael Vilain <vilain@NOspamcop.net> writes:
>
>> In article <XnsA2D2F27E54CEFR2D2@127.0.0.1>,
>>   GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call
>>> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true
>>> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from
>>> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it
>>> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail
>>> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
>>>
>>> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the
>>> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my
>>> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP
>>> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.
>>
>> mail() is all you're gonna get in a shared hosting facility.
>
> I've used one shared hosting provided that offered the PEAR Mail module
> which could be used to connect to whatever SMTP server you liked (one of
> which was their own).  It was a while ago, but I think you get better
> error messages from it, though nothing is going to beat getting the
> server's logs for diagnosing the problem.
>
> <snip>
>

How does that solve his problem?  He doesn't want to connect to a 
different email server - he wants to get this one working.

-- 
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

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#12829

Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> writes:

> On 2/13/2014 8:42 AM, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
>> Michael Vilain <vilain@NOspamcop.net> writes:
>>
>>> In article <XnsA2D2F27E54CEFR2D2@127.0.0.1>,
>>>   GS <nomail@nospam.org.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call
>>>> returned a bunch of errors today. The trouble is that it only returns true
>>>> or false, I was wondering if there is any way to get more feedback from
>>>> sendmail about what what went wrong, since I don't know whether I fed it
>>>> bad data or whether sendmail playing up. I can't find any alternative mail
>>>> calls I could use in the PHP manual.
>>>>
>>>> This is on a shared virtual hosting system so I don't have access to the
>>>> linux or sendmail configuration and I can't find any log files in my
>>>> userspace that pertain to the sendmail calls. The system is running PHP
>>>> 5.3.27, I think the OS is Linux 2.6.32.
>>>
>>> mail() is all you're gonna get in a shared hosting facility.
>>
>> I've used one shared hosting provided that offered the PEAR Mail module
>> which could be used to connect to whatever SMTP server you liked (one of
>> which was their own).  It was a while ago, but I think you get better
>> error messages from it, though nothing is going to beat getting the
>> server's logs for diagnosing the problem.
>>
>> <snip>
>
> How does that solve his problem?  He doesn't want to connect to a
> different email server - he wants to get this one working.

Often, (usually? always?) the local sendmail is just a client that
connects to the local MTA.  If you use the Mail module to connect, you
can, sometimes, get more error information than you do from mail().
Nothing that happens once the message is queued, of course, but if the
mail logs are inaccessible, it might be better than the success/fail
from PHP's mail() function.

-- 
Ben.

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#12834

On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:00:28 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
> Often, (usually? always?) the local sendmail is just a client that
> connects to the local MTA.  If you use the Mail module to connect, you
> can, sometimes, get more error information than you do from mail().
> Nothing that happens once the message is queued, of course, but if the
> mail logs are inaccessible, it might be better than the success/fail
> from PHP's mail() function.

OP said the mail() returned false. That's not usually a problem that's
going to show up in mail logs, because it's not even gotten as far as
something that logs anything. Why a mail submission would fail varies by
host OS, too. Pretty much NOTHING short of a systemwide mail failure or
a blatantly obvious problem with the submission (Nothing in the $to, for
example) will get a mail() fail on a unix system. Windows will fail a
mail() if the remote Mail Transport Agent doesn't answer or rejects the
mail, which it *may* do for any reason, including "you've sent too much
mail lately". In that case, yeah, it might be tricky, but there's still
going to be no logs to look at.

-- 
Cunningham's First Law:
Any sufficiently complex deterministic system will exhibit
non-deterministic behaviour.

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#12835

"Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> writes:

> On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:00:28 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
>> Often, (usually? always?) the local sendmail is just a client that
>> connects to the local MTA.  If you use the Mail module to connect, you
>> can, sometimes, get more error information than you do from mail().
>> Nothing that happens once the message is queued, of course, but if the
>> mail logs are inaccessible, it might be better than the success/fail
>> from PHP's mail() function.
>
> OP said the mail() returned false. That's not usually a problem that's
> going to show up in mail logs, because it's not even gotten as far as
> something that logs anything.

That's a good point.  The number of things that can go wrong and still
be logged is very small.

> Why a mail submission would fail varies by
> host OS, too. Pretty much NOTHING short of a systemwide mail failure or
> a blatantly obvious problem with the submission (Nothing in the $to, for
> example) will get a mail() fail on a unix system.

That does get logged by my MTA (masqmail) but I imagine that's just
about the only error where mail() fails and something shows up.

> Windows will fail a
> mail() if the remote Mail Transport Agent doesn't answer or rejects the
> mail, which it *may* do for any reason, including "you've sent too much
> mail lately". In that case, yeah, it might be tricky, but there's still
> going to be no logs to look at.

-- 
Ben.

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#12836

On 2/15/2014 1:54 PM, Peter H. Coffin wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:00:28 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
>> Often, (usually? always?) the local sendmail is just a client that
>> connects to the local MTA.  If you use the Mail module to connect, you
>> can, sometimes, get more error information than you do from mail().
>> Nothing that happens once the message is queued, of course, but if the
>> mail logs are inaccessible, it might be better than the success/fail
>> from PHP's mail() function.
>
> OP said the mail() returned false. That's not usually a problem that's
> going to show up in mail logs, because it's not even gotten as far as
> something that logs anything. Why a mail submission would fail varies by
> host OS, too. Pretty much NOTHING short of a systemwide mail failure or
> a blatantly obvious problem with the submission (Nothing in the $to, for
> example) will get a mail() fail on a unix system. Windows will fail a
> mail() if the remote Mail Transport Agent doesn't answer or rejects the
> mail, which it *may* do for any reason, including "you've sent too much
> mail lately". In that case, yeah, it might be tricky, but there's still
> going to be no logs to look at.
>

Peter,

Actually, my MTA (Exim on Debian) does log why a submission was 
rejected.  And while this is the default for the setup, the actions can 
be changed by the sysadmin.

-- 
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

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#12818

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 23:50:16 +0000, GS wrote:

> I've got a php mail script which was working ok but the mail() call
> returned a bunch of errors today. 

Don't know if this is any help but I use zendmail on shared hosting. I was 
given to understand, at the time I wrote the scripts, that it more secure. 
Be that as it may, I've never had any problems with it. I understand that 
it is possible to catch zendmail exceptions.

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