[Techtalk] Can't send mail from emacs

[Mary]

On Wed, Jan 21, 2004, David Sumbler wrote:
> The original message was received at Wed, 21 Jan 2004 21:00:25 GMT
> from localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]
> 
>    ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
> <david at aeolia.co.uk>
>     (reason: 553 5.1.8 <david at ceres.staly.plus.com> ... Domain of sender address david at ceres.staly.plus.com does not exist)
> 
>    ----- Transcript of session follows -----
> ... while talking to mail-relay-2.fastweb.co.uk.:
> > >> MAIL From:<david at ceres.staly.plus.com> SIZE=344
> <<< 553 5.1.8 <david at ceres.staly.plus.com> ... Domain of sender address david at ceres.staly.plus.com does not exist
> 501 5.6.0 Data format error
> 
> Yet when I send myself messages from pine (which is what I normally
> use) the sender is still shown as david at ceres.staly.plus.com, but the
> mail is processed OK.
> 
> What is causing this?

The most likely thing is that they're using different mail relays. It
looks very much like emacs is using localhost, what is pine using? (You
can check somewhere in the config.)

You have three options:

 - configure emacs to use the relay pine uses;
 - reconfigure localhost's mail server to accept mail with an invalid
   sender; or
 - fix your sender address (either in emacs or by getting localhost to
   rewrite it).

If you need help with the second or third option, find out which mail
server it is (telnet to localhost on port 25 and it will probably
identify itself) and we can help you out. I can't help with fixing
emacs, I've never used its MUA.

It is probably worth fixing the sender address, for two reasons: first
is that your own localhost mail server is by no means the only server
that will reject mail from a non-existent sender domain, the second is
that you will receive bounces for mails that don't get through (other
hosts rejecting your mail because of the invalid sender aren't sending
bounces to you -- because of the invalid sender!)

-Mary