[TriLUG] dead.letter file help

Aaron S. Joyner aaron at joyner.ws
Thu Nov 10 11:06:12 EST 2005


Jon Carnes wrote:

>This can also happen if the file or directory rights stop the local
>delivery agent from dropping off the mail into the spool.  Also if a
>spool file is simply too large to open/save any new data into.
>
>Check local spool files and look for any "." files in the spool
>directory: ls -al /var/spool/mail
>
>Jon
>
>On Wed, 2005-11-09 at 14:50, Lisa Boyd wrote:
>  
>
>>On 09 Nov 2005 12:47:13 -0500, jonc <jonc at nc.rr.com> wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Mail gets dumped into there when something blocks the local delivery of
>>>valid local mail. This normally happens when the volume containing the
>>>mail spool is full - or if you have multiple processes locking the users
>>>mail spools.
>>>      
>>>
>>I don't think the volume is full (wouldn't that prevent all mail from
>>being delivered?). How do I check and see if the spools are locked?
>>
>>I'll be looking for the script :) I think I ran across it this morning
>>but now I can't remember where I saw it.
>>
>>Lisa B.
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
dead.letter files can also show up if you're using `pine` as your email 
client, and while composing a message, abandon it.  If I'm remembering 
correctly, it writes out the file to dead.letter, as a precaution, 
instead of throwing it away entirely.

Aaron S. Joyner



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