Target Skills:

Ability to view and interpret server logs.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

More Info:

Searching and Viewing Log Files (Admin Guide)
     

View Message Logs

Let's send a bad message to a fictitious address with Communicator, and view the messaging server log files to see what happened to the message.

Use Communicator to Send a Bad Message

NOTE: If you haven't yet set up test messaging accounts and Communicator for messaging, please complete  Adding User Accounts/Create and Test Messaging Accounts , then come back here.

1. Using Communicator, send a message to fictitious "garbage@airius.com".
 

View the SMTP Log File with the Console to See What Happened to the Message

Bring up the Messaging Server Console

1. Start Netscape Console, and open up the Messaging Server Console.

a. From a Unix shell with root privileges, 
# <server-root>startconsole
example: # /usr/netscape/server4/startconsole
b. When the console appears, enter your User ID and Password, and click OK. (see it)
example: admin, admin
c. Click on the + box next to your machine name. (see it)
d. Click on the + box next to Server Group. (see it)
e. Double click on the Messaging Server. (see it)


Go to Configuration Tab/Log Files/SMTP Log Files/View selected log

2. Open up Configuration, Log Files.

a. Click on the "Configuration" tab. (see it)
b. Click on the + box next to "Log Files" in the left pane (if not open already). (see it)
3. Open up the SMTP log file.
a. Click on "SMTP Log Files" in the left pane. (see it)
b. Click "View selected log..." in the right pane on the "Content" form. (see it)


Interpret the Log File to Find Out What Happened to the Message

4. View that the message was accepted by the server for delivery to "garbage@airius.com".

a. Scroll down to the bottom (most recent) of the log list under "Log entry". (see it
b. Highlight the latest SMTP Accept notice ("..General Notice:SMTP-Accept..").(see it)
c. Examine the bottom view pane for the log entry.  It should be similar to the following:
[08/Jan/1999:14:34:46 -0800] humpback smtpd[2255]: General Notice: SMTP-Accept: F59IPY00.O00: <36968806.B76682D5@mcom.com>: 206.222.245.100]: 206.222.245.100: <p1@mcom.com>: 561: 1: <garbage@airius.com>
d. The most critical fields to look at are the fields with < >, interpreting them with the
SMTP-Accept log format (from the Admin Guide) (moduleName: envelopeID: mailFrom: [peerAddress]: peerHost: msgID:msgSize: numRecipients: recipientList). 
mailFrom: <36968806.B76682D5@mcom.com> 
msgID: <p1@mcom.com> 
recipientList: <garbage@airius.com>
e. This message was the one intended to be delivered to "garbage@airius.com".
5. View what happened to the message.
a. Scroll down further to see what actions were taken on the message.
b. Click on the first notice of an Error ("..General Notice:Error-Handler..").(see it)
c. Examine the bottom view pane for the log entry.  It should be similar to the following:
[08/Jan/1999:14:34:47 -0800] humpback smtpd[2255]: General Notice: Error-Handler: F59IPY01.500: <p1@mcom.com>: 563: <36968806.B76682D5@mcom.com>
d. The most critical fields to look at again are the fields with < >.
msgID: <p1@mcom.com> 
recipient: <36968806.B76682D5@mcom.com>
e. Notice the recipient here matches the mailFrom from step 4).  The message the error is 
    regarding is the same msgID ("<p1@mcom.com>") in both cases.

f. This entry shows that an error message was generated back to the sender of the original message.

6. If you go back to Communicator and Get Messages, you should see the error message that was sent back.
 
     

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