Strange Email Error

[mickalo]

Hello,

what hoping someone could explain this email error. I've never come accross an error message like this before:

The original message was received at Sun, 24 Sep 2006 06:23:49 -0400 from
srv04.futurepoint.com [67.15.8.86]

   ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<[email protected]>
    (reason: 554 5.4.6 Too many hops)

   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
554 5.4.6 Too many hops 26 (25 max): from <[email protected]> via
localhost, to <[email protected]>

what exactly does the "hops" refer too here ?

Mickalo

 

[chirpy]

hops are the number of Received: header lines. The protcol governing the relaying of email allows for an email to be dropped if it relayed through too many servers to avoid infinite loops. e.g. A forwards to B forwards to C forwards to A etc

 

[mickalo]

hops are the number of Received: header lines. The protcol governing the relaying of email allows for an email to be dropped if it relayed through too many servers to avoid infinite loops. e.g. A forwards to B forwards to C forwards to A etc

thanks Chirpy, that helps explain it.

a missing or no MX record, could this possible cause the same type of problem ?

Mickalo

 

[chirpy]

I guess so, if the domain is missing an MX record the smtp server will usually check the A record, and if that isn't where email should be delivered, then it could start looping about.