[Savannah-help-public] [gnu.org #359181] Problems with ePiX mailing lists

[Joshua Ginsberg via RT]

Digging through logs (and believe me, I did some digging), I find this:

Apr 04 09:22:51 2008 (5842) Uncaught runner exception: nothing to repeat
Apr 04 09:22:51 2008 (5842) Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/var/mailman/Mailman/Queue/Runner.py", line 111, in _oneloop
    self._onefile(msg, msgdata)
  File "/var/mailman/Mailman/Queue/Runner.py", line 167, in _onefile
    keepqueued = self._dispose(mlist, msg, msgdata)
  File "/var/mailman/Mailman/Queue/IncomingRunner.py", line 130, in _dispose
    more = self._dopipeline(mlist, msg, msgdata, pipeline)
  File "/var/mailman/Mailman/Queue/IncomingRunner.py", line 153, in
_dopipeline
    sys.modules[modname].process(mlist, msg, msgdata)
  File "/var/mailman/Mailman/Handlers/SpamDetect.py", line 116, in process
    if re.search(pattern, headers, re.IGNORECASE):
  File "/usr/src/build/394694-i386/install/usr/lib/python2.3/sre.py",
line 137, 
in search
    return _compile(pattern, flags).search(string)
  File "/usr/src/build/394694-i386/install/usr/lib/python2.3/sre.py",
line 229, 
in _compile
    raise error, v # invalid expression
error: nothing to repeat


This is in the SpamDetect handler that goes through a message, and it's
complaining about your "*fuck*" regular expression. This is the same
time that you injected your test message:

2008-04-04 09:22:50 1JhlsY-0005Gs-3b <= address@hidden
H=(monty-python.gnu.org) [199.232.76.173] P=esmtp S=2274
address@hidden from
<address@hidden> for address@hidden
2008-04-04 09:22:50 1JhlsY-0005Gs-3b => epix-users
<address@hidden> F=<address@hidden>
R=tmda_mailman_router T=tmda_mailman_transport S=2376
2008-04-04 09:22:50 1JhlsY-0005HQ-Ld <= address@hidden
U=mailman P=tmda-scanned S=2426
address@hidden from
<address@hidden> for address@hidden
2008-04-04 09:22:50 1JhlsY-0005HQ-Ld => epix-users
<address@hidden> F=<address@hidden> R=mailman_router
T=mailman_transport S=2405

Clear the spam filters or use only valid regular expressions, and I
imagine everything should work. All of the messages for epix-users were
shunted, however we vacuum the shunt queue rather regularly because of
so many poorly encoded messages ending up there. I'm not sure we can
recover them.

-jag

> address@hidden - Fri Apr 04 13:52:25 2008]:
> 
> On Thu, 3 Apr 2008, Joshua Ginsberg via RT wrote:
> 
> > My first thought in looking at it is to question your spam filters. Try
> > emptying them or setting them to "Hold" ... and let me know if that 
> > fixes the issue.
> 
> Hi jag,
> 
> Despite my mis-use of regexps in configuring the spam filters on the 
> mailing lists epix-users and epix-devel, that seems not to be the entire 
> problem. I set the action to Hold and posted to epix-users about four 
> hours ago, but still no message has appeared (neither delivered, nor in 
> the web interface under Pending Moderator Requests).
> 
> Unfortunately, aside from non-delivery of posts there aren't any symptoms 
> or diagnostic responses from the lists. In case it's helpful, the same 
> behavior occurred in both lists late last December. At the time, the 
> suggestion was possible hardware flakiness, and the lists worked for a 
> period of at least two weeks after they were re-started in late December.
> 
> Thank you for your help with this.
> 
> Andrew D. Hwang                       address@hidden
> Department of Math and CS     http://mathcs.holycross.edu/~ahwang
> College of the Holy Cross     (508) 793-2458 (Office: 320 Swords)
> Worcester, MA, 01610-2395     (508) 793-3530 (fax)
> 
> 
> 
-- 
Joshua Ginsberg <address@hidden>
Free Software Foundation - Senior Systems Administrator