Sending mail through SMTP Server

[defiantclass1]

I just turned on the Wingate SMTP server for the first and started my users sending through it. I have the outgoing mail setting in their Outlook clients pointing to the internal ip address of the wingate machine. Many messages are going through just fine. However there are many that getting trapped (or at least it looks like it) in the mail queue. The queue continues to try to resend the messages, but when I look in the log it says:

"Message Rejected. There are three possible causes for this rejection. If your server sends data before recieving an smtp banner, the connection will be dropped. If you exceed the max concurrent connection level of 4, your connection will be dropped. Otherwise, Please refer to www.spamhaus.org, dsbl.org and njabl.org for more information."

I did check spamhaus.org but my ip is not on the list. I don't know about the other stuff.

I'm new to this area of Wingate. Don't know a lot about sending mail.

Any ideas?

Thank you

[labull]

If you turn on Debug logging for the SMTP service you'll see the exact message traffic for the delivery attempt.

That should give you an idea what the problem is. You could post one of the sessions here so others can analyze it.

Larry

[defiantclass1]

I really appreciate the fast reply, thank Larry.

Yes, I did turn on the debugging. I guess I just don't know what to make of it. For example, it says one server rejected all communications. But I wouldn't know why? I know the recipient is there and the address is correct. I guess my suspision is that the receiving end does not recognize the sending end (my end) and is rejecting it?? But I wouldn't know what to change on my end to fix that. here is the log for 2 problem messages:


06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025478 Debug: Delivery for domain adelphia.net - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025478 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx.adelphia.net[68.168.78.104]
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025479 Debug: Delivery for domain saic.com - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025479 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx1.east.saic.com[198.151.13.23]
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025479 Debug: mx1.east.saic.com <=S: 554 mx1.east.saic.com
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025479 Error: ==== Server mx1.east.saic.com rejected all communications
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025478 Debug: mx.adelphia.net <=S: 421 Message Rejected. There are three possible causes for this rejection. If your server sends data before recieving an smtp banner, the connection will be dropped. If you exceed the max concurrent connection level of 4, your connection will be dropped. Otherwise, Please refer to www.spamhaus.org, dsbl.org and njabl.org for more information.
06/29/06 09:55:08 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025478 Debug: ==== Server mx.adelphia.net closed connection
06/29/06 09:55:10 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025479 Traffic 0 23 0 0 2s
06/29/06 09:55:10 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025478 Traffic 0 347 0 0 2s
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025517 Debug: Delivery for domain adelphia.net - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025518 Debug: Delivery for domain saic.com - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025518 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx1.east.saic.com[198.151.13.23]
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025517 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx.adelphia.net[68.168.78.104]
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025518 Debug: mx1.east.saic.com <=S: 554 mx1.east.saic.com
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025518 Error: ==== Server mx1.east.saic.com rejected all communications
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025517 Debug: mx.adelphia.net <=S: 421 Message Rejected. There are three possible causes for this rejection. If your server sends data before recieving an smtp banner, the connection will be dropped. If you exceed the max concurrent connection level of 4, your connection will be dropped. Otherwise, Please refer to www.spamhaus.org, dsbl.org and njabl.org for more information.
06/29/06 09:55:23 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025517 Debug: ==== Server mx.adelphia.net closed connection
06/29/06 09:55:25 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025518 Traffic 0 23 0 0 2s
06/29/06 09:55:25 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025517 Traffic 0 347 0 0 2s
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025526 Debug: Delivery for domain adelphia.net - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025527 Debug: Delivery for domain saic.com - MX lookup succeeded
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025526 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx.adelphia.net[68.168.78.104]
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025527 Debug: ==== Attempting connection to mx1.east.saic.com[198.151.13.23]
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025527 Debug: mx1.east.saic.com <=S: 554 mx1.east.saic.com
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025527 Error: ==== Server mx1.east.saic.com rejected all communications
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025526 Debug: mx.adelphia.net <=S: 421 Message Rejected. There are three possible causes for this rejection. If your server sends data before recieving an smtp banner, the connection will be dropped. If you exceed the max concurrent connection level of 4, your connection will be dropped. Otherwise, Please refer to www.spamhaus.org, dsbl.org and njabl.org for more information.
06/29/06 09:55:38 127.0.0.2 <system> 0000025526 Debug: ==== Server mx.adelphia.net closed connection

Does that give any helpful info?? Thanks again.....

[labull]

OK - sorry I misunderstood about the log.

Does the MX record for your domain point to the external IP of the Wingate server. i.e. if your address is defiantclass1@federation.org - does federation.org point to your WinGate server?

[defiantclass1]

Thanks,

No, it does not. The history here is that my mail host (ValueWeb) has begun having an issue they have yet to resolve with their smtp server that my outgoing mail normally goes to. Therefore I turned on my wingate smtp server and directed my users outlook clients to 192.168.0.1 (wingate).

Most mail has gone through successfully, and continues to. It's just a few, like these, that are having a problem.

I'm not to familiar with MX records. Is this the same as pointing the DNS server at my hosting co. to my IP? If you think I should do that, how would that affect incoming mail? I am not using wingate for incoming mail at the moment. The Outlook client's incoming setting is pop.carerehabinc.com and outgoing 192.168.0.1. So they receive from hosting company and send through Wingate.

Does that help make sense?

[labull]

Most likely the receiving SMTP servers are looking up your DNS record and checking domain mail entry (MX) and comparing it to the IP address of the sending (WinGate) server.

Not finding a match, the reject the connection.

You could add a second MX entry that points to you WinGate server and I believe that should make things good - if your WinGate server is also accepting mail.

[defiantclass1]

I see, so in that scenario, I would have to enable the POP3 server and start receiving mail mail as well. Oh boy.

[labull]

Actually, now that I think about it, probably not. Mail would only be attempted to that server if your normal host had a problem. Even then, it would just be retried later.

[labull]

Actually, now that I think about it, probably not. Mail would only be attempted to that server if your normal host had a problem. Even then, it would just be retried later.

[labull]

Actually, now that I think about it, probably not. Mail would only be attempted to that server if your normal host had a problem. Even then, it would just be retried later.

[ChrisH]

Even then, it would just be retried later.

Larry,

Yeah, OK we get the point. Three times. :)

[defiantclass1]

Okay cool, thanks again for help!

[labull]

Dang!!! Must be a bug in WinGate! :P

[adrien]

There are some other reasons that you may be blocked.

If your IP is listed as a dialup for instance, some aggressive admins block them as well. That may be purely based on your ISP's setup.

MX records are a DNS record that associate a domain with a server that will accept mail (via SMTP, not POP) for that domain.

Sometimes having an MX record in this case will help, sometimes not. If the server at the problem site is using a black-list (RBL) that has your IP or a block of IPs with your IP in it, then they will be blocking you.

Your best bet may well be to try and contact the admin at that site, to get them to whitelist your IP.

Adrien