Andi Gutmans <andi@vipe.technion.ac.il> writes:
>
>Anyone want to define VERP for me? I keep on seeing verp verp and it just
>doesn't mean anything to me. Is it like a Very Extraordinary Relay
>Protocol? :)
>Am i the only ignorany one that doesn't know what it means?
>Pardon me for flooding the list for something list this.
>
It's a new term in the qmail community. It's an acronym for
"Variable Envelope Return Paths". It used to be called the
"owner hack". It's what makes the envelope sender address on
messages from the qmail list so long and complex.
From RFCVERP, in the qmail 1.00 distribution:
1. Introduction
The fundamental problem in managing a large mailing list is matching
bounce messages to subscription addresses.
Often a bounce message refers to a failing address that does not
appear on the mailing list. One of the mailing list subscribers is
forwarding messages to that address. Which subscriber? As the list
grows, this question becomes more and more difficult to answer.
Sometimes a bounce message doesn't identify the address that failed.
On occasion it doesn't even include a copy of the original message.
See RFC 1211 for an extensive collection of horror stories.
[....]
Variable envelope return paths (VERPs) completely eliminate this
problem _right now_. They automatically and reliably identify the
subscription address relevant to each bounce message. They provide
the address in a form that is trivial for automated bounce handlers
to parse. They require support from the local mailer, but they do not
require support from any other hosts.
-Greg
>
>Anyone want to define VERP for me? I keep on seeing verp verp and it just
>doesn't mean anything to me. Is it like a Very Extraordinary Relay
>Protocol? :)
>Am i the only ignorany one that doesn't know what it means?
>Pardon me for flooding the list for something list this.
>
It's a new term in the qmail community. It's an acronym for
"Variable Envelope Return Paths". It used to be called the
"owner hack". It's what makes the envelope sender address on
messages from the qmail list so long and complex.
From RFCVERP, in the qmail 1.00 distribution:
1. Introduction
The fundamental problem in managing a large mailing list is matching
bounce messages to subscription addresses.
Often a bounce message refers to a failing address that does not
appear on the mailing list. One of the mailing list subscribers is
forwarding messages to that address. Which subscriber? As the list
grows, this question becomes more and more difficult to answer.
Sometimes a bounce message doesn't identify the address that failed.
On occasion it doesn't even include a copy of the original message.
See RFC 1211 for an extensive collection of horror stories.
[....]
Variable envelope return paths (VERPs) completely eliminate this
problem _right now_. They automatically and reliably identify the
subscription address relevant to each bounce message. They provide
the address in a form that is trivial for automated bounce handlers
to parse. They require support from the local mailer, but they do not
require support from any other hosts.
-Greg