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Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb?
Hello,

Trying to solve log message like this:

1lNmTn-00126S-SH Spool file 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-D not found

I find 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-H in /var/spool/exim/input with the expected
message data, but there is no -D file as error said.

Error most only happening at cron time which includes to run exim_tinydb
for all exim databases. Can exim_tinydb cause loss of -D files? How to
prevent?

Also now we have orphan -H file for this message (and message not
delivered after error) so what is best done with the orphan?

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Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
On 21/03/2021 21:44, MRob via Exim-users wrote:
> Trying to solve log message like this:
>
> 1lNmTn-00126S-SH Spool file 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-D not found
>
> I find 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-H in /var/spool/exim/input with the expected message data, but there is no -D file as error said.
>
> Error most only happening at cron time which includes to run exim_tinydb for all exim databases. Can exim_tinydb cause loss of -D files? How to prevent?

I suspect you mean exim_tidydb - and no, it should not be able to have that effect
(unless there's actually a bug in the main exim executable that happens to be
triggered by the tidying operation).

> Also now we have orphan -H file for this message (and message not delivered after error) so what is best done with the orphan?
>

Go through your logs and verify that the message was not delivered.
If it was not, warn the sender that they might want to re-send that message.

You may as well delete the -H once those are done; it's not useful
on its own.

If this is happening often, tell us anything you can think of
that might be unusual about your installation.
--
Cheers,
Jeremy

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Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
MRob via Exim-users <exim-users@exim.org> (So 21 Mär 2021 22:44:40 CET):
> Hello,
>
> Trying to solve log message like this:
>
> 1lNmTn-00126S-SH Spool file 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-D not found
> I find 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-H in /var/spool/exim/input with the expected message
> data, but there is no -D file as error said.

exim_tidydb *should* not touch any message files. It deals with db files
beneath db/ only.

(IMHO)

> Error most only happening at cron time which includes to run exim_tinydb for
> all exim databases. Can exim_tinydb cause loss of -D files? How to prevent?
>
> Also now we have orphan -H file for this message (and message not delivered
> after error) so what is best done with the orphan?

This may be related to crashes of Exim. Normally Exim cleans up properly
in face of "normal" errors (dropped connection, …) But, if Exim gets
killed violently, loss of -H or -D files may happen.

Do you use NFS?
Do you have multiple instances of Exim accessing the same directory?

How can you tell that's related to exim_tidydb and the cron job?

Best regards from Dresden/Germany
Viele Grüße aus Dresden
Heiko Schlittermann
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Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
Jeremy and Heiko thank you for replying. Mine was only a guess about
exim_tidydb but I have no evidence. Its a guess because the error always
occurr at cron time for a few messages per day. No NFS. I will look more
research and try to find other reason.
Thankyou.

On 2021-03-21 22:00, Jeremy Harris via Exim-users wrote:
> On 21/03/2021 21:44, MRob via Exim-users wrote:
>> Trying to solve log message like this:
>>
>> 1lNmTn-00126S-SH Spool file 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-D not found
>>
>> I find 1lNmTn-00126S-SH-H in /var/spool/exim/input with the expected
>> message data, but there is no -D file as error said.
>>
>> Error most only happening at cron time which includes to run
>> exim_tinydb for all exim databases. Can exim_tinydb cause loss of -D
>> files? How to prevent?
>
> I suspect you mean exim_tidydb - and no, it should not be able to have
> that effect
> (unless there's actually a bug in the main exim executable that happens
> to be
> triggered by the tidying operation).
>
>> Also now we have orphan -H file for this message (and message not
>> delivered after error) so what is best done with the orphan?
>>
>
> Go through your logs and verify that the message was not delivered.
> If it was not, warn the sender that they might want to re-send that
> message.
>
> You may as well delete the -H once those are done; it's not useful
> on its own.
>
> If this is happening often, tell us anything you can think of
> that might be unusual about your installation.
> --
> Cheers,
> Jeremy

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Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
MRob via Exim-users <exim-users@exim.org> (Mo 22 Mär 2021 09:36:54 CET):
> Jeremy and Heiko thank you for replying. Mine was only a guess about
> exim_tidydb but I have no evidence. Its a guess because the error always
> occurr at cron time for a few messages per day. No NFS. I will look more
> research and try to find other reason.
> Thankyou.

Is your server a high volume server? Are there messages
relayed/received/transmitted during the cronjob's time?

--
Heiko
Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
hello Heiko,

> MRob via Exim-users <exim-users@exim.org> (Mo 22 Mär 2021 09:36:54
> CET):
>> Jeremy and Heiko thank you for replying. Mine was only a guess about
>> exim_tidydb but I have no evidence. Its a guess because the error
>> always
>> occurr at cron time for a few messages per day. No NFS. I will look
>> more
>> research and try to find other reason.
>> Thankyou.
>
> Is your server a high volume server? Are there messages
> relayed/received/transmitted during the cronjob's time?

probably not so high volume compare to others but enough so yes we do
have mail received during cronjob. I didnt have time to look more, but
do you have any suggestion what could cause loss of "-D" files during
cron? Some kind of queue cleanup?

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Re: Spool file not found - related to exim_tinydb? [ In reply to ]
MRob via Exim-users <exim-users@exim.org> (Di 23 Mär 2021 22:37:45 CET):
> > > Thankyou.
> >
> > Is your server a high volume server? Are there messages
> > relayed/received/transmitted during the cronjob's time?
>
> probably not so high volume compare to others but enough so yes we do have
> mail received during cronjob. I didnt have time to look more, but do you
> have any suggestion what could cause loss of "-D" files during cron? Some
> kind of queue cleanup?

Hm. During exim_tidydb the database(s) are locked. I didn't check
thoroughly now, but I believe, Exim waits for the lock only for a short
period of time, if at all, and then proceeds without the using the
database (the db files are *hints* only).

Do you logs indicate that there was a message reception in process
during the exim_tidydb job? Maybe you can split the cronjob into
multiple "subtasks", to isolate the part of the job which runs at about
the same time as you lose the D-files.

--
Heiko