1. What are email headers?
2. Why do I need to send in full mail headers?
3. Okay, what do full mail headers look like anyway?
1. This message was delivered without any errors
2. This message has problems
4. How do I send the full headers?

What are email headers?

Way back in the olden days of the internet, everyone had to scroll through loads of gobelelygook at the top of every email message before getting to the content. This can be best thought of as the envelope for the email message, containing vital information to the postal carriers (i.e. riseup and other email providers), but of little interest to you and me.

Nowadays, most email clients (such as thunderbird, outlook, apple mail, etc.) filter these headers so that you can't see them when you read your email. This makes a lot of sense, but can become a problem when you are trying to diagnose a problem.

Why do I need to send in full mail headers?

If you want riseup to help you with a problem you are having sending mail to a riseup list or a riseup email user or receiving mail from a third party, we need you to provide us with a complete copy of the email header information. Without this information, it's impossible for us to determine the cause of the problem.

Imagine this -- you walk into a post office and demand to see the postmaster to complain that packages being addressed to you are being delivered next door. The postmaster asks to see the package. But instead of providing the package, you provide the package's contents, perhaps a warm sweater and a pair of socks. When you create help tickets without providing email header information, it is similar to this situation -- we are not really able to help.

Okay, what do full mail headers look like anyway?

I'm glad you asked.

This message was delivered without any errors

Return-Path: @riseup.net>
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on spamd2.riseup.net X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-100.0 required=6.0 tests=USER_IN_WHITELIST

shortcircuit=ham autolearn=disabled version=3.2.3

Delivered-To: collective@riseup.net
Received: from tern.riseup.net (tern-vpn.riseup.net 10.8.0.12)

by cormorant.riseup.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5E37E9D3B92

for @riseup.net>; Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:50:50 -0800 (PST)

Received: from 127.0.0.1 (localhost 127.0.0.1) (Authenticated sender: rutabhega@tern.riseup.net) with ESMTP id 6CC0D14C1C3 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v753)
To: Riseup @riseup.net>
Message-Id: <6708686E-310E-414C-85F7-B3D7BC9C8781@riseup.net>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-1--1041938202 References: <7c8f2d150802082216lce6c26fxa642521e643ce175@mail.gmail.com>
From: Kitty @riseup.net>
Subject: Fwd: People'sResistance- They took oath under the PCO, why support them now? Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:30:44 +0500
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.753)

This message has problems

From Mail Delivery System Tue Feb 12 03:47:10 2008 Return-Path: <>
Authentication-Results: mta129.mail.re2.yahoo.com from=mx1.riseup.net; domainkeys=neutral (no sig) Received: from 204.13.164.18 (EHLO mx1.riseup.net) (204.13.164.18)

by mta129.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:47:11 -0800

Received: by mx1.riseup.net (Postfix)

id 4C858570A20; Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:47:10 -0800 (PST)

Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:47:10 -0800 (PST)
From: MAILER-DAEMON@mx1.riseup.net (Mail Delivery System) Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
To: freakietown@yahoo.com
Auto-Submitted: auto-replied
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;

boundary="BDBD35706FA.1202816830/mx1.riseup.net"

Message-Id: <20080212114710.4C858570A20@mx1.riseup.net>
Content-Length: 2850

This is the mail system at host mx1.riseup.net.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below.

For further assistance, please send mail to postmaster.

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the attached returned message.

The mail system

@riseup.net>: unknown user: "georgebush@riseup.net" Reporting-MTA: dns; mx1.riseup.net
X-Postfix-Queue-ID: BDBD35706FA
X-Postfix-Sender: rfc822; freakietown@yahoo.com
Arrival-Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:47:09 -0800 (PST)

Final-Recipient: rfc822; georgebush@riseup.net
Original-Recipient: rfc822;georgebush@riseup.net
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.1
Diagnostic-Code: X-Postfix; unknown user: "georgebush@riseup.net"

how have you been these days? you seem depressed.

Technically, the part after "Content-Length: 2850" is not part of the header, but if you're having trouble, you should always include the actual text of the error message, in addition to the mailing headers, when you create tickets.

How do I send the full headers?

The folks at google have an excellent help page on this topic.

Also, check out this page which also discusses the issue and has instructions for a number of mail clients.