Re: exim4 TLS errors

[Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu>]

Camaleón <noelamac+gmane@gmail.com> writes:

> On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:29:15 -0700, Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>
>> Monday my exim4 server began reporting errors trying to deliver email to
>> a number of sites, as follows:
>
> (...)
>
>> 2012-03-07 09:04:44 1S5JM2-0001iQ-Rz ** mgap@creepinglunacy.com R=dnslookup T=remote_smtp: SMTP error from remote mail server after MAIL FROM: <joseph@pfeifferfamily.net> SIZE=1432: host creepinglunacy.com [199.85.212.11]: 550 Access denied - Invalid HELO name (See RFC2821 4.1.1.1) 
>
> (...)
>
> Just a quick note on the above error. The remote host expected a valid 
> domain name at the "helo" command stage and closed the communication with 
> your server. I would check how this variable is set in your Exim.

Thank you!  I'd been discounting that message, since the only place I
ever saw it was following the unexpected TLS packet length so I was
assuming it was a cascade error.  When I saw your message I went to
verify my assumption before responding -- and guess what....

My exim4 configuration was sending the local hostname of my server
(babs), rather than the name by which external DNS knows my domain
(pfeifferfamily.net).  That seems to have been the problem.