SMTP problems

[Jeff Dickson]

Hello,

I use SMTP on my vanilla O.S. 4.0 Sun to send mail to various users. If I
command SMTP to send mail to an invalid user (using the RCPT command), I
get the expected error back - "550 User unknown". I then reset the
connection using the RSET command. But if afterward I specify a valid
user, SMTP hangs in the process of verifying the user and my process is
eventually killed because the connection to SMTP times out. I get
something of the nature 'NET-HANG' in my log file. However, all works well
if I issue the RSET command everytime. 

RFC821 says that upon being issued the RSET command, SMTP is supposed to
forget all of the current mail transaction. This is apparently not the
case, because the mail IS being delivered regardless that I issued the
RSET command. 

Currently, I do not close and re-open the connection to SMTP eveytime to
send mail. I open it the first time and finally issue the QUIT command and
close it when I done. Could this be the reason I am encountering
difficulty?

Please send any responses to: jdickson at zook.jpl.nasa.gov . I will
summarize and post to the net.

Thanks.


Jeff Dickson