A script to discover if the host of an email address exists

[Jeepers]

Hi Guys

I have been looking around for ages for a perl script that will discover whether the host of an email address is genuine. I thought of using ping (some how or other) but some hosts reject this, hotmail for example. Does anybody have any ideas or better still the script to do it.

The only one I found was at cgi script center, or some place like that, and was never sent when requested (3 times) so maybe it does not exist.

To avoid confusion, it is not the validation of the syntax of an email address I’m looking for but the confirmation of the existence ‘out there’ of the host address part of the email address. E.g. john\@hotmail.com would return true because hotmail.com is a valid url, but john\@jotnail.comwould return false because of the typo.

Thaks ya all

[justame]

jeep...
there shoulddd be just a script® or something out there tooo do what you want...cause /me knows that her 'hosters' mail program??? will just a bounceback® email from 'senders' who's 'domain' doesnt just a exist® ...ummm 'cept canttt tell ya how its done...:O((( aka what/where the list is thattt the sendmail just a checks® the email just a gainst®

[stuntboy]

Justame your emale® program knows that the domain doesnt exist something like netscape knows a site doesnt exist, basically the emale® gets the ol 404 so it gives the error message (bounce) like your browser does :)

As a program that checks if the email exists I do not know of any, nor any sure fireways to tell. You could check to see if the domain exists though that would have a fair overhead and you would still not know if the email is there

[justame]

stu...
just a loling® @ /me typing email vs emale as per just a normal®.../me had just a finished® writing one of the clients ...hence the proper email...lol...
'cept the way it was explained to /me??? is the senders emale client 'handshakes' myyy hosts emale program...n' then host checks the identity of the senders emale n' goes...heyyy your domain doesnt exist n' just a closes® the connection to the 'nonexistent' senders emale client???