Sendmail data format error

Server Config
1

I’m having a problem that started a couple days ago. Customers are not recieving order update emails generated by the shopping cart, but I can still email them directly.

I did some testing. Any email generated by the shopping cart does not work, unless it is being sent to the same server.

Here is logs of email being sent to the same server through the shopping cart:

Apr 13 07:30:49 ensim sendmail[29005]: i3DDUnW29005: from=apache, size=582, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<200404131330.i3DDUnW29005@ensim.rackshack.net>, relay=apache@localhost
Apr 13 07:25:12 ensim sendmail[28859]: i3DDPCB28856: to=“Brenda woods” <salesxx@cbswords.com>, ctladdr=apache (48/48), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=virthostmail, pri=30585, relay=cbswords.com, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (i3DDPC228862 Message accepted for delivery)
Apr 13 08:25:12 ensim sendmail[28863]: i3DDPC228862: to=<salesxx@cbswords.com>, ctladdr=<apache@ensim.rackshack.net> (48/48), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=30378, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

Here are logs of the email being sent to a different server through the shopping cart (not working).

Apr 13 07:30:49 ensim sendmail[29005]: i3DDUnW29005: from=apache, size=582, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<200404131330.i3DDUnW29005@ensim.rackshack.net>, relay=apache@localhost
Apr 13 07:30:49 ensim sendmail[29008]: i3DDUnW29005: to=“Brenda woods” <salesxx@jalic.com>, ctladdr=apache (48/48), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=esmtp, pri=30582, relay=mail.jalic.com. [64.246.17.242], dsn=5.6.0, stat=Data format error
Apr 13 07:30:49 ensim sendmail[29008]: i3DDUnW29005: i3DDUnV29008: DSN: Data format error
Apr 13 07:30:49 ensim sendmail[29008]: i3DDUnV29008: to=root, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=30682, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

I’ve done some searches and I’ve found people with the opposite problem (same server emails not working) but not with this problem.

Some of the people with similar problems were told to change sendmail.cf by adding dnl to the beginning of this line.

dnl DAEMON_OPTIONS(`Port=smtp,Addr=127.0.0.1, Name=MTA’)

I’ve done that and the problem persists.

2

Thats indeed strange. Are you able to send mails directly from an SSH prompt or from another user account on the site?

3

Oh, sorry i just re-read that you can send directly …

I’ll have to have a think about this one …

4

Fix it yet? Did you edit any of the config files recently that would pertain to SMTP services or even DNS resolution? I had similar issues with a qmail server that had the local domain info declared incorrectly.

Also, I came across this online for someone having a simlar issue (to some extent):

i fixed it by editing /etc/hosts
changed
127.0.0.1 localhost myown.domain.nl
into
127.0.0.1 localhost domain.nl

the problem was that the remote mailservers couldnt resolve myown.domain.nl

So that fix or making sure the hostname resolve may do the trick if this is the issue.

Good luck!

5

check over the directory permissions on your mail folders. Make sure they are not world writable. Data Format Error is a very misleading and generic error message.