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What does the "BEADER HOBO" error mean in mail to me that bounces?

A message to an MIT address which is returned to the sender with a
message saying "beader hobo" is caused by a malformed Message-ID field
in the header.  The Message-ID field is a unique identifier for each
message, which enables tracking of that message.

A valid message ID has an identifier, then an @ sign, and then a
machine name, like so:

	Message-Id: <200201161826.NAA28858@gaston.mit.edu>

The official protocols on the construction of mail messages define the
requirements for this format.  Unfortunately, a misconfigured mail
program or ISP may send out mail with bad Message-IDs, often without
the machine name:

        Message-Id: <200201161826.NAA28858@>

While some ISPs do not check for a malformed Message-ID header, MIT
does, and bounces mail with a bad Message-ID field, with the "beader
hobo" message.  


Last updated: 10/8/2003