[PLUG] Wanted: automated incoming mail system test tool

[Keith Lofstrom]

After a mail transfer failure (stemming from a subtle DNS
misconfiguration), I realized I have no automated tools to
keep track of the health of the incoming mail processes.

Imagine a tool that sends a short email every five minutes
to an email test address on my world-facing server.  If a
bot on the server does not get the emails regularly, it sets
an alarm level, increasing with log(2) of the dead time.

An applet on my laptop queries the mail status server for
the alarm level, perhaps displaying a tiny envelope with
a colored status number in my desktop toolbar.  0 for ok,
1 for 10 minutes no email, 2 for 20, 3 for 40 minutes,
etc., topping off at 9 for 2560 minutes or 42 hours
(FIX it NOW).  Click on the applet for details.  For
extra bonus points, initiate a debug tool.

If I can imagine it, somebody else has probably already
done it.  Does anybody know of such a tool? 

My programming sucks, and you don't want me writing it ...

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com