From: stathop@csi.forth.gr (Costas Stathopoylos)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.sendmail
Subject: Re: timezone problems...
Date: 17 Nov 1992 17:46:03 GMT
Organization: FORTH - ICS, P.O.Box 1385, Heraklio, Crete, Greece 71110 
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Distribution: world
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Hi Christophe,

In article <1ea5s9INNaqg@grasp1.univ-lyon1.fr> you write:
|> stathop@csi.forth.gr (Costas Stathopoylos) asks:
|> > Nov 16 18:26:24 pythia sendmail[12561]: AA05065: arpatounix: unparseabl
e
|> >  date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 17:16:30 MET
|>
|> This is just a warning, you can ignore it.
|>

Ok. It's allright with that; although I'd prefer a richer set of supported
timezones this is another story...

|> > DlFrom
|>
|> This is the Unix From line.  The only Date header which should be looked
|> at is "Date:" not the date in the Unix From. On some systems (mainly
|> SysV family) the Unix From contains the delivery date, not the
|> sending date.

As far as I know sendmail translates $a (that is Date: field's date) to $d on
every system it runs. Well maybe this is not produced by sendmail itself...

|>
|> > Consequently, mail from a client in my domain that inserts a Date: head
er
|> > is delivered through my 5.65 host (mailserver) with a GMT date! (via a
mailer
|> > that has no "n" Flag that is it inserts a UNIX from line).
|>
|> Sendmail will add a "Date:" header if not present (in most standard
|> configurations). If you get the warning in the syslog the the messages
|> arrive and already had a non RFC "Date:" header.

I know that the warning is for the invalid timezone part but that's not my
point. Please, read on.

|> > If this is the case I want to know if there is the possibility to produ
ce
|> > From line with dates in the EET which is my local timezone EET==+0200
|>
|> Most recent user agents now produce dates conforming to the RFC, ie
|> numeric offsets if not textually defined in the RFC-822.
|>

Well, if this job is left to the UA I have no problem. But, what I am trying

to say is that sendmail is doing it in the wrong way.

Let me explain a little bit more:
   I have a .forward that filters messages through a well-known mail filter
system (e.g elm's or procmail). Local delivery is done via the program mailer
which is the /bin/sh . As you know this is not a usual UA so this mailer
needs a unix From line to be added  to the delivered message by sendmail.
When a Date: field already exists sendmail computes the date on the Unix from
line in GMT. When there is no Date: field sendmail adds one with the local
date (note : in +0200 --i.e. EET.) and produces a Unix From line with local
date, too.

In both cases there is no sign on the From line whether the date is in GMT or
 +0200. Just a raw date field of the form : Tue Nov 17 15:48:01 1992
which is either in GMT or in EET !
I think that such a treatment confuses your users no matter of the UA
they use. Xmail and ucb/mail consider the unix from line to list your mbox
contents. Of course the Date: field is always a valid reference point but
most users pay attention to the line their UA presents...

Maybe there is a better choice instaed of /bin/sh for Mprog (i.e. e UA that
adds correct Unix From lines?

Regards,
Costas.
Newsgroups: comp.mail.sendmail