Oh no not aqain - SMTP problems!

pentode · 25-07-2009, 21:23

The last time I blogged was quite a while ago and had problems with very slow outgoing Emails using Thunderbird and with Outlook they went straight to my out box and never sent.

I did a Wormly SMTP server test and it comes up with

Quote:

SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed
SMTP -> ERROR: RCPT not accepted from server: 550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed

Message sending failed.

So does this look like a config. fault at their end?

I think it's high time I kicked this shower of a firm into touch, because when you phone up... there's a maintenance issue it'll be fixed by 1pm... you phone later and it'll be fixed by 4pm so it went on and on.

I explained the above and they had me checking this and checking that in very poor English, I also explained that this had happened before they didn't want to know - why can't they listen?

They actually resolved the issue last time after I reporting them to CISAS which was many moons ago so it seems.

Are the SMTPs really that bad, could anyone throw any light - thanks?

Dave

Toto · 25-07-2009, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by pentode

The last time I blogged was quite a while ago and had problems with very slow outgoing Emails using Thunderbird and with Outlook they went straight to my out box and never sent.

I did a Wormly SMTP server test and it comes up with So does this look like a config. fault at their end?

I think it's high time I kicked this shower of a firm into touch, because when you phone up... there's a maintenance issue it'll be fixed by 1pm... you phone later and it'll be fixed by 4pm so it went on and on.

I explained the above and they had me checking this and checking that in very poor English, I also explained that this had happened before they didn't want to know - why can't they listen?

They actually resolved the issue last time after I reporting them to CISAS which was many moons ago so it seems.

Are the SMTPs really that bad, could anyone throw any light - thanks?

Dave

OK, assuming you trying to connect ot a VM smtp server that error can be one of two things

1 You are trying to send email using a non VM IP addres.
2 You are using a VM IP address, but its not allowed to use SMTP whatever.

The second one sometimes happens if a new VM IP range has come into play, but has not been added to the SMTP allowed list.

pentode · 25-07-2009, 21:49

Sorry should have elaborated. I was initially with Blueyonder and its a Blueyonder address that I use.

I use Thunderbird normally at least the emails do go after about five minutes but with Outlook Express it goes straight into the out box and never gets sent - it had worked the day before and had been fixed previously after a couple of visits from an engineer what seems like many moons ago.

I was told "Oh, it's your Firewall".. "No it's not", I said. So I lobbed in a hard drive that just had Windows installed and nothing else, no Firewall etc. -
Outlook Express was exactly the same and so was Firefox, I wonder how he felt?

Thunderbird and Outlook Express worked fine after he got on the phone to Knowsley I think it was - so why should it be a address problem, what had changed overnight and howcome it had been fixed?

Dave

fireman328 · 25-07-2009, 21:58

I have been suffering, on and off for some time and was told there had been a major fault

Toto · 25-07-2009, 21:59

ok.

I assume your outbound server is set to smtp.blueyonder.co.uk, is your IP address blueyonder too?

pentode · 25-07-2009, 22:10

You assume correct Toto smtp.blueyonder.co.uk is what it's set as.

Cheers and thanks Dave

Toto · 25-07-2009, 22:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by pentode

You assume correct Toto smtp.blueyonder.co.uk is what it's set as.

Cheers and thanks Dave

Try placing a tick in the smtp servers settings window box that says something like, "this server requires authentication".

See if that does it.

pentode · 25-07-2009, 22:31

Sorry Toto makes no difference, thanks

Dave

Toto · 25-07-2009, 22:48

so, your using smtp.bluyonder.co.uk, you have a blueyonder IP address, and your trying to send using a blueyonder email username, am I missing anything?

pentode · 25-07-2009, 23:24

Sorry I don't follow Toto!
I am signed up with Blueyonder, I have always used Blueyonder Email account for sending and receiving - the only problem is sending.

May I reiterate that this is the second time that this as happened and had been fixed once many moons ago.

The first obvious thing I did was to check my account settings, both in Thunderbird which works slow, very slow and Outlook Express that does not work at all, the Email goes straight to the Out box.... not the Sent box as it never gets sent, if I had installed any new software and suchlike I would have tried removing it, don't wanna look a fool do I?

I just realized the Wormly SMTP test must prove it's a Virgin problem because all I had to do was to enter my Email and SMTP addx - so it can't be any setting on my part can it?

I think this may have confused

Quote:

I was initially with Blueyonder

my bad, sorry if it was I should have put it differently.

Ah well, we'll wait until Monday and see what the CEO say's... pointless discussing these things with Customer support.

Dave

monkey2468 · 25-07-2009, 23:39

Try deleting your outlook account then set it back up again.

pentode · 25-07-2009, 23:58

Nope not that, already tried it and besides the Wormly SMTP test won't even know what my settings are, proving it's Virgins side and not mine thats at fault....hope I'm right here.

Quote:

SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed
SMTP -> ERROR: RCPT not accepted from server: 550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed

Message sending failed.

Just trying to get some sense of this, I ensured my Email and SMTP addx was correct.

Dave

popper · 26-07-2009, 03:02

theres no date on this page (and their web pages seem to be real sluggish to display for me due to their design) so it's not clear how recent this info is, but read it , they are going to get everyone on a you@virginmedia.com eventually.

http://www.virginmedia.com/help/virginemail.php

in the meantime does webmail work for you at least?

http://www.virginmedia.com/help/emai.../error-550.php
"This error is telling you that the problem is with your mail server, not Outlook Express.

It usually happens if you’ve just joined us and you used to access a different email account through your Outlook Express, or if you currently access a few different email accounts through Outlook Express...."

in your case, try typing a simple telnet smtp.blueyonder.co.uk 25 in a cmd shell and see what response you get.

Toto · 26-07-2009, 09:27

Right,

I have part of this problem sussed. That Wormly test won't work on the mail servers precisely because they don't allow relaying.

Quote:

smtp.ntlworld.com:

Resolving hostname...
Connecting...
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
421 aamtaout01-winn.ispmail.ntl.com connection refused from [66.228.123.50]
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
SMTP -> ERROR: EHLO not accepted from server:
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
SMTP -> ERROR: HELO not accepted from server:
Message sending failed.

The IP address resolves to:

$ host 66.228.123.50
50.123.228.66.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer clover.wormly.com.

smtp.blueyonder.co.uk:
Resolving hostname...
Connecting...
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
220 asmtp-out3.blueyonder.co.uk ESMTP Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:18:33 +0100
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
250-asmtp-out3.blueyonder.co.uk Hello www.wormly.com [66.228.123.50]
250-SIZE 31457280
250-PIPELINING
250-AUTH LOGIN PLAIN
250 HELP
MAIL FROM: ******@ntlworld.com
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
250 OK
RCPT TO: ******@ntlworld.com
SMTP -> FROM SERVER:
550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed
SMTP -> ERROR: RCPT not accepted from server: 550 Administrative prohibition - relaying not allowed

Message sending failed

Those tests only go to prove the servers are up and running, it is down to the configuration of the mail server you have entered as to whether the test will work.

In both cases I have tried smtp.ntlworld.com & smtp.blueyonder.co.uk, and in both attempts it has said that relaying has failed which it is supposed to as a spam avoidance measure. You aren't able to specify that the server allows smtp authentication because that is not what the simple test does. SMTP Authentication only works on the blueyonder platform, as per this line:

Quote:

250-AUTH LOGIN PLAIN

So for the moment can you provide the actual error message you are getting from your email program, and not the above test, we may then be able to get to the bottom of things.

Oh and for the record, I am not suggesting for one minute there isn't a problem on VM's side, there could well be.

Ravenheart · 26-07-2009, 09:39

Not sure if this is connected but I use a similar setup to pentode and am getting increasing numbers of SMTP errors. First place I look is the status page and usually find a ticket on there like this one for yesterday.

http://status-cable.virginmedia.com/...ticket=1045042

Seems to be happening on a more frequent basis, probably why they're farming the mail over to Google.