Lyris User's Guide
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Loop Detection
Table of Contents
· Introduction
· Email Commands
· Web Interface for Users
· Server Administrator
· · Overview of Server Administrator
· · Server Admin Menu
· · Sites Menu
· · Server Config
· · · Activation code and admin contact
· · · TCP/IP Settings
· · · Mail Receiving Settings
· · · · Incoming From: Mail Rewrites
· · · · Incoming To: Mail Rewrites
· · · · SMTP Port
· · · · Ban Mail From
· · · · Accept Mail From
· · · · Remove Lyris List Manager Addresses
· · · · Mail Receive Rules
· · · · Max Message Size
· · · · Incoming Mail Processing
· · · · Fast Bounce Handling
· · · · Loop Detection
· · · · Loop Exception
· · · · Disable From: Checking
· · · · Disable Subject: Checking
· · · · Disable first line Checking
· · · · Clean Incoming Mail Queue
· · · Mail Delivery Settings
· · · Lyris List Manager Command Protocol (LCP) Settings
· · · Server Headers and Footers
· · · Programming Extensions at the Server Level
· · · Newsgroups
· · · Miscellaneous Server Config Settings
· · Server Documents
· · Server Action Phrases
· · Server People
· · Statistics
· · Incoming Mail
· · Outgoing Mail
· · Server Admin Log
· · Shutdown Server
· Site Administrator
· List Administrator
· Other Topics
· Add-On Packages
· Installing and Upgrading
· Appendix
· Frequently Asked Questions

Loop Detection

Lyris List Manager automatically tracks how many messages per day are sent from a foreign address to a Lyris address. If the number of messages in one day exceeds the Loop Detection threshold, Lyris List Manager cuts off the mailings, issuing a single refusal message, and then discarding the rest of the messages in that 24 hour period.

This feature is useful for automatically breaking mail loops that aren't able to be stopped through Lyris List Manager's other mechanism, and also for stopping a mail bomb attack. Say, for example, that someone sets their email program to send thousands of messages to your autoresponder, in order to mail bomb you, and tie up your server, this feature will detect this, notify the administrator and automatically stop the process.

Note: Some sites use a Web CGI script to sign people up to their list. In such a case, the script might be sending from the same address every time, and to the same address every time, thus being perceived as a mail loop, if the quantity of mailings goes over the loop detection threshold. In such a case, you should put an exception for that specific from/to combination to exempt your script from this test. If you forget to do this, the server admin will receive notification of the potential loop, and you'll thus be reminded of the need for an exception.

Other pages which link to this page:
  • Mail Receiving Settings
  • Page 147 of 629