Sendmail Error messages

[Global Server Operation]

I have a N4000 server running 11.i Anyone have any idea what this message I received in the mail.log means?

Mar 11 15:55:20 usahs100 sendmail[15766]: i27M03x29806: timeout waiting for inpu
t from local during Draining Input
Mar 11 15:55:20 usahs100 sendmail[22734]: i28A03C21114: timeout waiting for inpu
t from local during Draining Input
Mar 11 15:55:20 usahs100 sendmail[3047]: i29805C15303: timeout waiting for input
from local during Draining Input
Mar 11 15:55:20 usahs100 sendmail[17211]: i2AM04605452: timeout waiting for inpu
t from local during Draining Input
Mar 11 15:55:20 usahs100 sendmail[28957]: i29605k05504: timeout waiting for inpu
t from local during Draining Input

[Geoff Wild · Accepted solution]

Which version of sendmail?
echo \$Z | /usr/sbin/sendmail -bt -d

Check out:

http://www.sendmail.org/~ca/email/smenhanced.html

Make sure that the local delivery agent does not generate (too much) output that is sent back to sendmail. Moreover, it must properly close the communication channel.

You might try to increase the timeout on the sendmail side, or decrease the timeout on the procmail side (where it is waiting to get a lock).


Rgds...Geoff

[James A. Donovan]

Thsi is a 'minor' known problem with sendmail.

http://www.sendmail.org/%7Eca/email/smenhanced.html

Minor known problems in sendmail
[to be filled in when I have more time, see the RELEASE_NOTES of the latest version]
Delivery to programs that generate too much output may cause problems (8.10, 8.11)
If e-mail is delivered to a program which generates too much output, then sendmail may issue an error:

timeout waiting for input from local during Draining Input

Make sure that the program does not generate output beyond a status message (corresponding to the exit status). This may require a wrapper around the actual program to redirect output to /dev/null.
Such a problem has been reported for bulk_mailer.

[Global Server Operation]

Sendmail version is 8.11.1

[Global Server Operation]

Thanks for the replies. One question The link mentioned putting a wrapper around the program. Would this be the program that is generating the sendmail messages is there something within OS I need to perform?

[Geoff Wild]

I believe the wrapper they mention is to redirect output to /dev/null.

So, if you are calling sendmail from a script or cron, >/dev/null 2>/dev/null

Looks like you have latest HP version of sendmail...

Do a :

swlist -l product |grep send

SMAIL-811 B.11.11.01.006 sendmail(1m) 811 special release upgrade


Rgds...Geoff

[James A. Donovan]

Yes. I've googled around some on this and found that the root cause of the problem could be DNS resolution issues. Basically sendmail is having problems resolving host names to IP addresses, and with large deliveries it causes problems.

http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2002/debian-user-200203/msg02020.html

The performance tuning section of the following link may give you some hints at what to try next, as well.

http://www.math.uh.edu/~tibbs/README.SENDMAIL

[Global Server Operation]

Does the mail still get sent when these messages occur?