09-Sep-2008

PMAS issues
The newly installed version didn’t work properly, but I only learned about it on reading the operator log yesterday:

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   7-SEP-2008 19:28:19.46  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-STARTDB, starting configuration for file PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF:
-PTSMTP-I-LISTENON, listening for connections on 0.0.0.0,2525
-PTSMTP-I-RUNWITH, running with from 2 to 10 workers
-PTSMTP-I-DNSBL, DNSBL block support enabled

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   7-SEP-2008 19:28:19.48  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-E-NETBIND, failed to bind listening TCP/IP socket to 0.0.0.0,2525
-SYSTEM-F-DUPLNAM, duplicate name

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   7-SEP-2008 19:28:19.48  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-E-STARTDBFAIL, failed to start for configuration PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF
-PTSMTP-I-REMOVINGDB, removing configuration

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   7-SEP-2008 19:28:19.48  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-DBSTATUS, status for configuration PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF:
Total of 0 connections accepted; 2 workers currently active
Pid      Process Name     State   Connections Serviced
2020B6BE PTSMTP01  0001  exiting           0
2020B4BF PTSMTP01  0002  exiting           0

It looked somewhat familiar, I saw similar behaviour when I had the trouble with the first installation before Hunter had it fixed. But the mail system seemed to have no problem at all and I had no time to look into it, so I left it to be solved another day.

Tonight I did have some time to look into it.
Originally, I thought it had to do with the definition of PMAS_ROOT, that was one of the problems I ran into before, but that was not the case; Though INSTALL shows DISK$AXP083 as the device and PMAS_ROOT refers to $116$DKA100:, but it’s the same device: labeled AXP083.

I ran the stop procedure, but the installed images were still there. So I removed them with my procedure – and had to add two more. Next, I enabled the terminal as oper device and restarted PMAS:

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:29.30  %%%%%%%%%%%
Operator status for operator _TNA59:
CENTRAL, PRINTER, TAPES, DISKS, DEVICES, CARDS, NETWORK, CLUSTER, SECURITY,
LICENSE, OPER1, OPER2, OPER3, OPER4, OPER5, OPER6, OPER7, OPER8, OPER9,
OPER10,
OPER11, OPER12

$ @sys$startup:pmas_startup
Starting PreciseMail Anti-Spam....
Starting PreciseMail Anti-Spam Pass-Through SMTP Server....
%RUN-S-PROC_ID, identification of created process is 2020B661
%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.46  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-STARTING, PTSMTP for OpenVMS 1.0-1 starting

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.52  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-STARTDB, starting configuration for file
PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF:
-PTSMTP-I-LISTENON, listening for connections on 0.0.0.0,2525
-PTSMTP-I-RUNWITH, running with from 2 to 10 workers
-PTSMTP-I-DNSBL, DNSBL block support enabled

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.54  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-E-NETBIND, failed to bind listening TCP/IP socket to 0.0.0.0,2525
-SYSTEM-F-DUPLNAM, duplicate name

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.55  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-E-STARTDBFAIL, failed to start for configuration
PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.
CONF
-PTSMTP-I-REMOVINGDB, removing configuration

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.55  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-DBSTATUS, status for configuration PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF:
Total of 0 connections accepted; 2 workers currently active
Pid      Process Name     State   Connections Serviced
2020BA6B PTSMTP01  0001  exiting           0
2020B06C PTSMTP01  0002  exiting           0

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 18:49:53.55  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-CTRLEXIT, PTSMTP exiting
-PTSMTP-I-NOTHINGTODO, no configuration specified

Same problem….. Looking what was running on the system, I saw the culprit:

2020812A PTSMTP          HIB      7   177053   0 00:01:22.73      3141    127
2020A42B PTSMTP    002A  LEF      6    93327   0 00:00:22.88      1964    707

Why it wasn’t stopped, I don’t know yet, though started by Hunter, running the stop process as SYSTEM should have killed it. This was the one that had done all the filtering; though the files it uses were purged off the system, it kept running without a problem. Perhaps the installed images were still loaded in memory but marked-for-deletion so INSTALL wouldn’t show them. But there is was: stil up-and-running!

Now I stopped the process by brute force, for safety removed all installed images and restarted PMAS:

$ @sys$startup:pmas_startup
Starting PreciseMail Anti-Spam....
Starting PreciseMail Anti-Spam Pass-Through SMTP Server....
%RUN-S-PROC_ID, identification of created process is 2020BC71
%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 19:01:25.34  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-STARTING, PTSMTP for OpenVMS 1.0-1 starting

%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   9-SEP-2008 19:01:25.37  %%%%%%%%%%%
Message from user SYSTEM on DIANA
%PTSMTP-I-STARTDB, starting configuration for file
PMAS_ROOT:[DATA]PTSMTP.CONF:
-PTSMTP-I-LISTENON, listening for connections on 0.0.0.0,2525
-PTSMTP-I-RUNWITH, running with from 2 to 10 workers
-PTSMTP-I-DNSBL, DNSBL block support enabled

and it is running ever since, without a problem.

Hunter informed me that the stop procedure that is normally delivered will only stop the controller and workers but keep the installed images in place. I suggested, to keep in line with “normal practice” to have both a PMAS_STARTUP.COM and PMAS_SHUTWDOWN.COM in SYS$STARTUP. He’ll look into it.

Next Friday the beta ends, and the full blown version will be available some time next week.

BTW: I’m saved from SPAM until 23-Sep-2009: I got my new license.

Soymail
A new layout for some panels, new buttons, more flexibility showing (and inputting) mesage text: that’s what I’ve seen so far. It works fine, and handy.
Some new features need to be checked yet, but that will come by itself 🙂

07-Sep-2008

Some more testing
Today, I installed two BETA kits to test: a new version of PMAS (including fixes to all reported problems) and of the web-mail client SoyMail, containing a number of new features. BVoty look good – except PMAS didn’t show any September result in the statistics screens, for 01-Sep-2008 until installation – but the files that are quarantained and discarded are shown properly, even those from that period. They’re just not counted… I only found out after installing the new version so I don’t have a reference, but the August data is there – so there must be something in the reporting that locks out this month data…
Well, the script will locate them – hopefully.
(I do have a backup of all exe’s and procedures, and of all statistics files. Just in case)
It’s stupid, to test on a production machine, I know. But there is little other opportunity.

BTW – I requested a new PMAS license – it expires tomorrow…

Postponed cleanup
has been done: saved all August logfiles worth keeping. Deleted all what could be deleted. Saving some space :). But installtions of patches is still to be done. That will take place next weekend, I think. Unless something else heads up casuing more attention.

6-sep-2008

August mail stats
PMAS statistics for Augustus
Total messages    : 5323 = 100.0 o/o
DNS Blacklisted   : 3619 =  67.9 o/o (Files: 31)
Relay attempts    :   88 =   1.6 o/o (Files: 28)
Processed by PMAS : 1616 =  30.3 o/o (Files: 34)
        Discarded :  666 =  41.2 o/o (processed),  12.5 o/o (all)
     Quarantained :  501 =  31.0 o/o (processed),   9.4 o/o (all)
        Delivered :  449 =  27.7 o/o (processed),   8.4 o/o (all)

Add 142 messages I had to remove manully, and 20 that were filtered by the SMTP service, in the 2 days that PMAS was out-of-service.
I n3eed to renew my license….

Last week I was on holiday and so I missed the next cycle – the third is just out. It will be installed this weekend.

New SOYMAIL client announced
It seems time for new releases….
Mark Daniel offers a new release of SOYMAIL – the web-client to VMSMail. It means worl to be done to translate a number of files. And test it, of course.