220127 - Can't retrieve POP3 sent messages from INBOX

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(MailNews Core :: Networking: POP, defect)

Description

[lohphat]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.75 [en] (Win95; U)
Build Identifier: 

My home mozilla client is set to remove messages from server.  When I'm on the 
road and read my mail at internet cafes all my sent mail is kept on the POP3 
account's SENT folder.  When I get home I move the sent messages from the SENT 
folder to the INBOX then get mail again to move them locally.  The moz client 
just hangs at the "Getting messages" prompt instead of getting the messages and 
deleteing them.  Should I be doing something differently?

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Send message from ISP's webmail interface.
2. Move sent message to INBOX
3. Try to get message from moz client
4. Client hangs.

Actual Results:  
Hang.

Expected Results:  
Retrieve mail and delete from POP server.

Comment 1

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Is this a bug report about "Mozilla/4.75 [en] (Win95; U)" ?

Comment 2

[lohphat]

no, the latest 1.5 builds.  I reported via a cafe's kiosk.

Comment 3

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

for 2) do you move the Sent files with the web-Frontend ?

Can you create a pop3 log ?
http://www.mozilla.org/quality/mailnews/mail-troubleshoot.html

Comment 4

[lohphat]

yes. After I compose and send a message, I move the sent messages from the SENT 
folder to the INBOX when I return home -- that's when the hang occurs.

I've tried just moving one message instead of the 9-10 I've created while on the 
road, but none of them, tried one by one, will be retrieved.

I'll create the POP3 log when I get home this weekend.  I'm away in Hawaii now 
-- I'll drink a Mai-Tai for all of your souls while I'm here ;-)

Comment 5

[lohphat]

to clarify: the hang occurs when the moz client tries a POP3 get new 
messsages, not when I move the mail rom SENT to INbOX via the 
webmail interface.

I blame the Mai-Tais.

Comment 6

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 log of get message hang

Moved a single SENT message into the POP3 mailbox from the SENT folder and
tried to retrieve the mail.

Comment 7

[Christian Eyrich]

From the protocol we can see, you had 2 messages in the mailbox. So, what mail
you got downloaded? Not the one you previously moved from SEND to INBOX?

Comment 8

[lohphat]

It was a new mail that came in at the same time I was doing the test, that got
downloaded OK.

Do you want me to try again to only got one message?

Comment 9

[Christian Eyrich]

No, I don't think that's required.
What I see is: Mozilla deletes your moved mail right after seeing it. But I
don't have a clue why.
Then it downloaded the new one, and that's all - no QUIT, nothing. It hung then?

Can you tell, since when (which build) this problem occurs? Or can you see it in
all versions (e.g. 1.4 and older)?

Comment 10

[Christian Eyrich]

Hm, I guess I know why Mozilla "hung" in the case you logged. Because the server
doesn't close the mail with <CRLF>.<CRLF> as it should.
So Mozilla waits for the end of the mail.

If I understand you correctly, the one in the log was a normal mail you
received. But you only see the waiting if you've a moved mail in the INBOX, yes?
Or did you see it this time too, though you got the mail correctly?

Could you create another log when only a normaly received mail is in the INBOX
(e.g. mailed to yourself)?  And one where just a moved mail is in the INBOX?
I still don't see the thread.

Comment 11

[lohphat]

it just hangs.  

It's been happening on all builds I've ever used.  I'm just thought it was an
Earthlink thing, but wanted to document the issue and come to closure.

Comment 12

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 log of normal single message delivery

This is from a mail I sent to myself from the moz client

Comment 13

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 log of single message moved from SENT to INBOX causing hang

Sent mail to myself via Earthlink[tm] webmail interface, deleted the received
mail, moved the copy from the SENT folder to INBOX then attempted to get mail
via moz client.  Log terminates where moz interface hangs and I can hit ESC to
get out of the infinite wait.

Comment 14

[Christian Eyrich]

Thank you for your help.
After looking at all the logs, especially the last one, I guess it's a server
problem.

Done opening message stream!
RECV: (null)
RECV: X-Symantec-TimeoutProtection: 0
RECV: (null)
RECV: X-Symantec-TimeoutProtection: 1
RECV: (null)

So you see, Mozilla receives something and doesn't do simply nothing. But the
server don't send anything.
What's received seems to be from a anti-virus-tool or something on your machine.
Do you have such a software running? Maybe you should try again without it running.

To be sure if it's Mozillas fault or not you should try getting such a mail with
another client software (like Eudora, The Bat or something). Or did you already try?

Comment 15

[lohphat]

I've tried this with Symantec disabled and I get the same thing.  I'll redo it
with that out of the loop as it will not add that x-header.

Comment 16

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 sucessful get w/o Symantec layer

Same as first but w/o Symantec AV scanning layer.

Comment 17

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 failed get w/o Symantec layer

Same as second attachment but w/o Symantec layer NOTE: See the final "." on the
tagline -- it is not part of the signature text.  I'll try this test again w/o
Earthlink's webmail UI adding the sing and see what happens.

Comment 18

[lohphat]

Attachment: POP3 fail w/o sig and w/o Symantec

Aha!  Not the "." after the word "sig" -- it was not in the body text.	It
looks like an Earthlink POP3 server bug.  But why only on SENT messages?  Every
other mail comes through the POP server.

Comment 19

[Christian Eyrich]

> Aha!  Not the "." after the word "sig" -- it was not in the body text.

Yep. I also noted this in your first log but thought it is part of the sig.
As I wrote in comment #10, the end-of-message-period has to be in it's own line
(so a <CRLF> is missing).

I guess Earthlinks POP server thinks the message has a newline (<CRLF>) at the
end of the message but it hasn't. They should really fix this.

Yes, the earthlink server seems to be buggy. To be sure you can try to compose a
message with a blank line at the end in webmail, move this from SENT to INBOX
and get this. That should do it as a workaround.

Comment 20

[lohphat]

I've submitted a bug report via Earthlink's customer support website.

Comment 21

[lohphat]

Response from Earthlink:

Dear Darin May,

Thank you for contacting us. 

We understand your concern regarding webmail bug.

Thank you for your input. We are always interested in comments from our
customers and the public regarding ways to improve our product and service. We
will certainly consider your suggestion. In the meantime, you can learn about
all of our services and pricing plans by visiting the following site:

http://www.earthlink.net/home/access/

However, if you need any assistance, please get back to us.

Rajesh D. 
Earthlink Electronic Customer Support 
EarthLink, Inc. 
 
CSR ID#: 2494 
Case ID 31768048

Comment 22

[Christian Eyrich]

Looks like the normal blabla. Not surprising.

Does the workaround - adding a blank line to mails you're creating with webmail
- work?

Comment 23

[lohphat]

Yes.  If I create a message with a blank line at the end w/o attaching the sig
and if I update the sig with a blank line at the end it works.

Comment 24

[Christian Eyrich]

Ok, thanks. So closing the bug as invalid because of a server problem.

Comment 25

[lohphat]

I finally escalated again to an Earthlink person with a clue.

The core problem it seems is that the *message compose* interface is broken.  A
<CR> is not appended and thus not saved on new messages causing the POP3
end-of-message marker ("." alone on a line) to be appended to the last text or
sig line.  That causes the POP3 client to hang/timeout.