Exim: Frozen messages

americanintel

Verified User
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
135
Location
Granbury, TX
I can send and receive ok. Spamassassin is enabled. All default settings. So basically no complaints and the urls/hosts listed in the log below all look like spam to me but I'm concerned about the Message is frozen messages and couldn't find anything in the DA forums that went into detail. Can someone give me the lowdown on this? Problems or not? Why do I get these messages? I will research Exim more in the meanwhile but I would appreciate some insight here.

Ok.. here's the last 100 lines of my mainlog:

[root@server root]# tail -100 /var/log/exim/mainlog
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyGvt-00009f-N4 mail.techpowerupyourdotcom.com [209.216.96.115]: Connection timed out
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyGvt-00009f-N4 == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (110): Connection timed out
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyC7Q-0007Ry-7i Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay4K0-0005cx-Sj Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay42M-0005Xr-QX Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay40V-0005Xb-4M Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyGWQ-0008Vd-De Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay39A-0005Nz-T0 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyBRk-0007H7-F7 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay1HK-0004hY-6r Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxxDQ-0003bZ-Qq Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxwvM-0003Up-V6 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay12t-0004Zw-2z Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxzAK-00047l-SZ Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxqaC-0001Ea-99 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay5EK-0005ng-2T Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axz2n-00045c-Ch Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay2jJ-0005Es-9B Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axwse-0003T1-GD Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axwjn-0003Pn-3q Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxuMU-0002ex-Ea Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxtWQ-0001vk-8U Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxiP9-0007gA-RW == [email protected] <[email protected]> routing defer (-51): retry time not reached
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axe3n-0006dp-Kb Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ax4Xl-0004cz-II == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxtWF-0001ve-5g Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxpSA-0000yK-7R Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxpDc-0000sT-G3 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxoM1-0000ev-DN Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ax1gA-0003us-KT == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxnpJ-0000Xh-Ez Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axn8W-0000M6-Ii Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axmnz-0000IX-Jl == [email protected] routing defer (-51): retry time not reached
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Aww2d-0002S1-Ib == [email protected] <[email protected]> routing defer (-51): retry time not reached
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxkSz-0008E9-6N Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxhMF-0007Q3-SK Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxdyM-0006d5-6y == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyIux-0000jT-4X Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axezc-0006th-Uf Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axdr0-0006a0-QM Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxcT6-0006DH-R2 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyItc-0000j0-3N Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay2Y8-00059Y-UG Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay27E-0004xy-Le Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay2Vo-000598-Dx Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyGUm-0008VL-Ez Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxwiT-0003M1-Ly Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay0X4-0004SY-FJ Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxwI4-0003DX-9K Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyHos-0000RA-Gl mensagem.cc [217.69.168.182]: Connection refused
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyHos-0000RA-Gl == [email protected] <[email protected]> R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (111): Connection refused
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxVGj-0004R8-0f == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axv8Z-0002tj-Gg Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxvV9-00030G-Ox Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxyIu-0003tT-Cs Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axapl-0005q8-Hv Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyH2Z-0000Dq-BI Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxtBG-0001sJ-4E Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyFSw-0008Ep-2R == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyB1Q-0007AU-Nn Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxjdW-0007vt-1E Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxjVf-0007v7-DO Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axy5u-0003pz-6r Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay23z-0004x3-NA Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyFHC-0008BE-A4 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ax9t4-0005zM-ED == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyAoZ-00076O-OH Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxrSI-0001VA-Du == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxsxE-0001pJ-Ph Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axsw3-0001ok-8U Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axrbg-0001X9-5g Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyIVx-0000c0-Qj Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxqBs-00018T-Kn Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ax9hy-0005yO-Ob == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxtbY-0001y4-Us Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axmh4-0000G8-QU Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axl0t-0008LO-Jv Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axh1X-0007NE-2S Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyF24-00087F-T0 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxmSC-0000D3-Jm Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxgK2-0007DV-JY Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Ay1XP-0004m6-EE Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1Axqri-0001MG-Ag Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AxcWe-0006Fy-Hm Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyAey-00073w-BZ Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:01 1AyDua-0007tY-P4 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyAU1-000711-Uk == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (0): SMTP error from remote mailer after MAIL FROM:<>: host best-fishing.co.kr [61.81.96.9]: 451 Command parser Processing error
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyJDG-0000mm-71 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyAGN-0006xw-M7 == [email protected] R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp defer (-53): retry time not reached for any host
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1Ay8Ff-0006Wk-R9 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1Ay3yn-0005XJ-Oo Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1Ay5pt-0005vP-0q Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1Ay7YX-0006NF-U2 Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyA1X-0006up-MD Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AxjKC-0007sj-Ql Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AxqrP-0001M4-SI Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyF5w-00089Z-Tw == [email protected] routing defer (-51): retry time not reached
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AyITK-0000bc-5S Message is frozen
2004-03-02 17:29:03 1AxaAg-0005fD-65 Unfrozen by errmsg timer

Thanks,
 
Googled for a minute, form the Exim list:

> Too many threads about this "message is frozen" thing...
> Can someone tell me what can be the cause(s) of this (from mainlog) :
>
> 2001-04-24 06:15:41 145zyP-0008WA-00 Message is frozen

Look at the previous entries in the log for that message. They will tell you why it is frozen.

> Is this normal or not ? Should it be fixed or left as is ?

It may be "normal" (lots of incoming mail for unknown users, with bad sender addresses - and you haven't set "receiver_verify") or it may be abnormal (you have a bug in your configuration). You need to know *why* the messages are frozen.

It should not be left as is - your disc will fill up, and anyway, you
don't want to have a huge Exim queue full of frozen messages.

Take a look at receiver_verify, ignore_errmsg_errors,
ignore_errmsg_errors_after, and timeout_frozen_after.

Right now I have 2 domains on the server that are receiving email, one has some history with lots of users but only has 1 user now. Could these 'Frozen' message be caused by spam/email arriving for these now non-existant users? Or should I be looking at my exim config options?
 
Taking a look at /etc/exim.conf I find on line 229

# When Exim can neither deliver a message nor return it to sender, it "freezes"
# the delivery error message (aka "bounce message"). There are also other
# circumstances in which messages get frozen. They will stay on the queue for
# ever unless one of the following options is set.

# This option unfreezes unfreezes bounce messages after two days, tries
# once more to deliver them, and ignores any delivery failures.

#!!# ignore_errmsg_errors_after renamed ignore_bounce_errors_after
ignore_bounce_errors_after = 2d

# This option cancels (removes) frozen messages that are older than a week.

timeout_frozen_after = 7d
rfc1413_query_timeout = 0s

Guess I could just shorten everything to this:
ignore_bounce_errors_after = 1d
and
timeout_frozen_after = 2d

Seems to me that there are two reasons why messages Freeze:
1. The user (for my domain) does not exist
and/or
2. The user/url/host that the email is from does not exist.. which would be par for spam.


.. and the search for knowledge continues.
 
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