mail server error message?

[myotis]

I wonder if anyone can shed light on an occasional error I am getting once to twelve times a day

I use FastMail to fetch my email from my domain at Zen. I then read my emails using the Fastmail client. My wife and I both use a joint account with Fastmail, and this affects my mailbox and her mailbox at Zen, both on the same domain.

For the last few days (since Wednesday) I have been getting an "occasional" email from Fastmail saying they cannot fetch my mail from Zen and that the Zen server is sending them a message that says:


..IMAP Command : 'logout' failed. Reason was : Can't call method "syswrite" on an undefined value at /home/mod_perl/hm/perl5/Mail/IMAPTalk.pm line 4634.


The emails that weren't fetched, are now stuck on the Zen server, even though any new emails since the failed fetch get collected. I can check what is happening at Zen with the Zen webmail client.

Zen have checked their logs and say there is no problem at their end, and to take it up with FastMail.

FastMail have also checked and says there is no problem at their end and to take it up with Zen.

What I'm a little surprised about is that neither Zen nor FastMail seem interested in the actual error message, with both of them just saying "all is well" with their respective setups.

Before I make my next move (whatever that might be) I was hoping someone here could give me a better understanding of what might be happening.

Thanks

 

[Dryce]

I'm a bit out off date on these things as it has been a while.

So the error you are seeing is from FastMail. It's not an error report from Zen.

FastMail is trying to send the 'logout' command to the Zen iMAP server and either has had an internal error - or the connection to Zen has unexpectedly been closed by Zen.

Problem with tracking this is that there could also be intermediate servers between the two that are managing the communication load either on FastMail or on Zen. So the servers may not actually be connecting directly - but through intermediaries.

It needs some cooperation and looking at both ends. Tendency in support is to take a quick look - not see anything amiss and shrug.

Setting aside the underlying hassle / mystery of what is happening under the skin and the cause of the error message there is the other issue of the 'stuck' email.

Question there is whether it is actually stuck on Zen or whether it is stick in FastMail.

If you are able to connect directly to Zen with another iMAP client then you could demonstrate that it is stuck there ... or not. If it is then that is something for Zen to solve. If it is not then the question gets punted back to FastMail..

 

[myotis]

I'm a bit out off date on these things as it has been a while.

So the error you are seeing is from FastMail. It's not an error report from Zen.

Thanks, but no. The error report is the error message that Zen are sending Fastmail when they try to fetch mail from my mail boxes (mine and my wifes) on the Zen server.

FastMail are then sending me an email, telling me that they are receiving this error from Zen when trying to fetch my email from Zen.

I do not normally connect directly with Zen. But as I said in my OP, I am checking Zen with the Zen WebMail client. This is how I know emails are getting "stuck" at Zen.

FastMail is trying to send the 'logout' command to the Zen iMAP server and either has had an internal error - or the connection to Zen has unexpectedly been closed by Zen.

This makes it sound as if the problem is with Zen.

Problem with tracking this is that there could also be intermediate servers between the two that are managing the communication load either on FastMail or on Zen. So the servers may not actually be connecting directly - but through intermediaries.

Ah, so this error could come from Zen, or some intermediary server, even though Fastmail have identified as the error they are receiving when trying to fetch mail from my mailbox at Zen

"A timeout occurred trying to download an imap message.

There were some errors retrieving messages.IMAP Command : 'logout' failed. Reason was : Can't call method "syswrite" on an undefined value at /home/mod_perl/hm/perl5/Mail/IMAPTalk.pm line 4634."

It needs some cooperation and looking at both ends. Tendency in support is to take a quick look - not see anything amiss and shrug.

Well, that is what I am hoping for

Setting aside the underlying hassle / mystery of what is happening under the skin and the cause of the error message there is the other issue of the 'stuck' email.

Question there is whether it is actually stuck on Zen or whether it is stick in FastMail.

No they are stuck with Zen. I can see them with the Zen Webmail app, This is how I know they are stuck. Fastmail have asked for the headers from two of the stuck emails, and suggested they will "unstick" them for me. I have done this, but not yet heard from them.

If you are able to connect directly to Zen with another iMAP client then you could demonstrate that it is stuck there ... or not. If it is then that is something for Zen to solve. If it is not then the question gets punted back to FastMail..

FastMail said that the stuck emails at Zen should have fetched at the next successful fetch, and seem to see it as their problem.

The "unsticking" has resulted in the issue being "escalated" at FastMail, so I am hoping this will give me an opportunity to discuss the whole issue with someone more experienced.

Your reply, has made me feel more confident on what I might ask, so thanks for that.

I wonder if there is any chance of FastMail and Zen speaking directly to each other, as I'm not actually involved anywhere in the path between their respective servers.

I wonder if it could be a specific intermediate server that has an issue, as it's odd how random the error is and I assume that the choice of intermediate servers may vary depending on how busy they are.

 

[Box Brownie]

@myotis

I wonder how would it behave is you switched to a POP3 connection?

 

[myotis]

@myotis

I wonder how would it behave is you switched to a POP3 connection?

I'm not sure I feel able to ask FastMail to try connecting with POP3 (I'm not even sure they support it)