SMTPerr is a tool designed to extract error messages from "bounces" - the emails received from "Mailer Daemon" and so on, after a mailout. If your mailing list is large, you may get several hundred - or more - bounces each time you send a newsletter. Processing these manually is a challenge. SMTPerr reads the bounces and summarises each error in a single file. This file can then be viewed and changes made to the source mailing list accordingly.

SMTPerr supports errors from a multitude of mailers, including Exchange, exim, GroupWise, qmail, postfix, and AppleMail. It also includes a generic MIME-based routine to recover the error from MIME data, if needed.

Output looks like this (one error per line):

[1] <xxx@aol.com>: 550 User unknown [POP3 session transcript]
[2] <xxx@mcmail.com>: Mailaddress is administrativley disabled. (LDAP-ERR #220) [qmail]
[3] <xxx@slinky.co.uk>: Reporting-MTA: dns;mail.future3000plc.com Received-From-MTA: dns;mail19.messagelabs.com Arrival-Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 07:51:18 +0000 Final-Recipient: rfc822;xxx@slinky.co.uk Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 [MIME]
[4] <xxx@emap.com>: The recipient name is not recognized [Exchange 5.5]

 

important bits

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• Requires Windows 95 or higher.
• This program is LICENSED SOFTWARE and may not be copied or distributed without prior written permission of the author.
• Please see the license agreement included with the software for the complete terms and conditions of use of the software.

1. run the self-extracting archive

 

configuration and startup

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1. SMTPerr does not need a configuration file.
2. SMTPerr expects as input a single text file, which contains all the bounces you wish to process. If you have received many bounces in your email program, export them all to a single text file, then process that file with SMTPerr.

 

controls and methods

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1. Type SMTPERR from the command line to execute the program.

   A dialog will be displayed where the source and target filenames can be entered.

   The "from address" must also be entered. Put the email address used to send the emails in this field.

   Pressing Enter will start processing. When complete, a summary will be displayed. The program will then exit.

 

issues and limitations

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• SMTPerr will not use Long File Names

• get parameters from INI file
• logging
• progress indicator
• CSV-formatted output

May 20, 2003	0.01	initial development; basic logfile decoding/CSV encoding routines
?	0.02	improvements and documentation
May 17, 2005	1.03	commercial release