NYCkayaker Test

[Rich Kulawiec]

On Fri, Nov 23, 2007 at 12:18:06PM -0500, Lee Reiser/Leona Fontaine wrote:
> I believe I am sending, but not receiving messages from the nyckayaker listserve. Please respond back channel. Lee Reiser

I'm going to use this as a "teaching moment", so please don't think I'm
picking on you.  I'm still recovering from food/football overdose anyway
so I'm not up to picking on anybody yet. ;-)

First, this is not a listserv; it's a mailing list.  Only mailing lists
run by Listserv software are "listserves", and those are diminishing in
number.  (Mailing lists were around long before Listserv software was
written.  They will be around long after it's gone -- Listserv software
is an obsolete relic and is fading from use, an entirely good thing.)

Second, if you're having a problem with this list or any other list,
the best course of action is to contact the list-owner (Jeremy) and/or
the postmaster of the site hosting it (me and the folks who work for me),
because we have the best chance of diagnosing the problem.  And that in
turn is because we have access to the log files, and subscribers don't.
So there's no need to bother the 99% of the people on the list who
couldn't help you even if they wanted to.  Just bother us. ;-)

The convention for contacting list-owners is:

	listname-owner at listhost

in this case:

	nyckayaker-owner at rockandwater.net

The convention for contacting postmasters is:

	postmaster at listhost

in this case:

	postmaster at rockandwater.net


Usually it's best to try list-owners first and let them kick the problem
upstairs to the postmaster (so to speak) if it's not something list-specific.

Third, a cursory check of the logs for November shows acceptance
by Earthlink of multiple list messages addressed to you:

	Nov  1 05:09:26 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx4.earthlink.net [209.86.93.229], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov  4 12:02:14 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx2.earthlink.net [209.86.93.227], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov  5 12:02:44 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx1.earthlink.net [209.86.93.226], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov  8 12:02:35 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx2.earthlink.net [209.86.93.227], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov  9 12:03:21 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx4.earthlink.net [209.86.93.229], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov 12 12:02:23 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx3.earthlink.net [209.86.93.228], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov 13 12:03:01 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx4.earthlink.net [209.86.93.229], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov 14 12:03:14 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx3.earthlink.net [209.86.93.228], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov 16 12:02:36 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx3.earthlink.net [209.86.93.228], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)
	Nov 17 12:02:48 to=<lee060 at earthlink.net>, relay=mx1.earthlink.net [209.86.93.226], dsn=2.0.0, (Message accepted for delivery)

The "dsn=2.0.0" indicates that Earthlink has accepted the message without
error and is now responsible for its delivery -- that is, we've done our
job, and we're off the hook.  What this tells me is that the problem is
either (a) internal to Earthlink (b) internal to your own system or
(c) in the handoff of mail from Earthlink to your system.

---Rsk