IP banned as residential for MX

Free or paid service?

MXLogic is a paid service, but it doubles as a spam/virus filter. Also has a neat feature called 'spooling' that (if your Exchange server goes down) they will collect your mail for you, and release it automatically when the server becomes reachable again.

I am sure there are plenty of others, but I havent used any - and cant vouch.

Can you tell me the aproximate cost per month?  This is more of a test server than production so cheap or free is good.

If I remember correctly, there is a minimum of like $15 (which gives you something like 10 mailboxes) - then it is 2.50/mo per mailbox after that.

Can't you use your ISPs SMTP server? That is what most people do when they are on a dynamic IP address.

Simon.

I have a third party host for one of my domains that I can use for SMTP but I have never been able to get the SMTP connector to work.

Can you give me a hand with that?

If the 3rd party is smtp.server.com how would I set the connector?  The connection also requires auth.

I have a guide here: http://www.amset.info/exchange/smtp-connector.asp

Simon.

I have the connector setup correctly, but I am not sure about my accounts.

There is no inbound MX to this server.  I have the domain.local and mypublic.com.  I do not seem to be using the connector to send the outbound mail.  There is the SBS Connector that is the default and the 3rd party connector that I added.

I think the problem is the from address and the routing.  In AD I have me@mydomain.com set as the Primart email address but when I look at sent items in the From windowsdomainuser@mydomain.com instead of me@mydomain.com

For some reason it looks like it is not using the connector I set.

Just eliminated the second connector and set the default SMB connector to forward to the 3rd party SMTP server with the same results.  Do I need to restart Exchange for the setting to take?

Restart the SMTP Server service for things to take effect correctly.

Simon.

Same results.  Looks like the mail is still going out directly, or my IP is remaining on after the relay.

Lets look at it more after the holiday.  Thanks for all of the help so far Simon.

Sorry for the delay, this project has taken a back burner, but the problem still exists.

After setting the SMTP connectors up I still have email bouced based on my IP.

I've used DynDns.org's MailHop Outbound service for my personal Exchange server - $19.95/yr.  

http://www.dyndns.com/services/pricing/#als

Very cost-effective way of getting around the limitations of hosting a mail server on a residential-based internet connection.

How can I test the SMTP connector with some type of logging or way to see why it failed?

If the messages are not being delivered, then you should get an NDR.
If the messages are sitting in the queues, it will usually give you a reason.

Simon.

I have found that the Exchange MTA stack service was disabled.  Would this affect me?

Nothing in any of the queues, and I do get a bounce response from the recieving mail server.

I believe that the SMTP connector is failing, then the Exchange server just sends the mail out directly.  The smtp server I am sending to requires that mail has the same domain in the from address.  This would fail the auth.

How can I be sure that the from address is me@xyz.com.

In AD uder a test account the primary SMTP address is me@xyz.com, then there is an X400 that is local to the domain.  There are two others that are SMTP username@domain.local and alias@domain.local.

If I delete the other accounts the will reapear shortly.

Exchange MTA being disabled is normal for a single server environment.
If the configuration on the SMTP connector fails to work, then the email would bounce back. It would not send the email directly.

As long as the .local addresses are not in bold, indicating that they are the default, then email is going out with the correct email address on them.

Simon.

The accounts are as you state (user@domein.com) , and there is nothiong in the queue.  I do get an NDR.  So???

Is there a way for me to see that the connector is working or not?  Is the any place to look at a log?

What does the NDR say?
The Connector either works or it doesn't - but remember it isn't object like the SMTP virtual server, it is just a configuration. Therefore any logs are going to be the SMTP Server logs.

Simon.

See below for the NDR.

Believe me, I am no newbie (but I clearly need more excahnge experience) and this has me quite confused:

The following recipient(s) could not be reached:

      xxxxxxx@hotmail.com on 9/28/2009 7:23 PM
           There was a SMTP communication problem with the recipient's email server.  Please contact your system administrator.
            <xxxxx.com #5.5.0 smtp;550 DY-001 Mail rejected by Windows Live Hotmail for policy reasons. We generally do not accept email from dynamic IP's as they are not typically used to deliver unauthenticated SMTP e-mail to an Internet mail server. http://www.spamhaus.org maintains lists of dynamic and residential IP addresses. If you are not an email/network admin please contact your E-mail/Internet Service Provider for help. Email/network admins, please visit http://postmaster.live.com for email delivery information and support>

Yet, in Outlook if I select the pop account to send from that uses the same SMTP, the message clears.

???

Not sure where these logs are if you are not refering to the SMTP Virtual server that is included in the exchange logs.

If I am confused can you tell me the path?

Here is another kicker.  If I send from my exchange server to different domain that is also hosted by the third party server, the message is delivered, even though my exchange server does not know this domain is also mine.

The only common factor is that both domains are hosted by the third party.

Make sense?

Sending to a host at the same provider can provide mixed results that cannot be relied upon.
You need to send to a completely independent host and have the email delivered correctly. Then look at the headers to see what path the message took.

Simon.

Here is the header of a message sent to hotmail.

The only thing I see is that the sent from server is server.mydomain.local if there where a reverse lookup it would not resolve to anything.

Microsoft Mail Internet Headers Version 2.0
From: postmaster@mydomain.com
To: travis@mydomain.com
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:19:21 -0500
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
      boundary="9B095B5ADSN=_01CA41110F7BB1C000000007mydomain.com"
X-DSNContext: 7ce717b1 - 1194 - 00000002 - 00000000
Message-ID: <bC8wSA1Xv00000001@mydomain.com>
Subject: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)

--9B095B5ADSN=_01CA41110F7BB1C000000007mydomain.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unicode-1-1-utf-7

--9B095B5ADSN=_01CA41110F7BB1C000000007mydomain.com
Content-Type: message/delivery-status

--9B095B5ADSN=_01CA41110F7BB1C000000007mydomain.com
Content-Type: message/rfc822

Subject: Test 1
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:15:16 -0500
Message-ID: <A38307EAB0B6FB4892C573F81A0F0EB5F6AF@server.mydomain.local>
X-MS-Has-Attach:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
      boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01CA4163.A6943BCA"
X-MS-TNEF-Correlator:
Thread-Topic: Test 1
thread-index: AcpBYxZab/p8Z3XNTrO7iCOtDIwylA==
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
From: "Travis Lambert" <travis@mydomain.com>
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5.7226.0
To: <me@hotmail.com>

------_=_NextPart_001_01CA4163.A6943BCA
Content-Type: text/plain;
      charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

------_=_NextPart_001_01CA4163.A6943BCA
Content-Type: text/html;
      charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


------_=_NextPart_001_01CA4163.A6943BCA--

--9B095B5ADSN=_01CA41110F7BB1C000000007mydomain.com--

That wasn't what I said to do.
You need the header of a successful message delivery, so that you know what path you are using.

Otherwise it has to be presumed that the SMTP connector hasn't been configured correctly, delete it and try again. Put a dummy smart host in [127.0.0.2] - the email should queue.

Simon.

The successful emails route to a server named bender.xyz.com.  It is very clear that they are touching the third party.

I don't know if the are allowed from my server (no RBL) or if the connector is working.

If your ISP or the server you are using as a smart host appears in the SMTP headers of a successful message, then the email is being routed correctly. It may well be that the server you are using to relay email through is also blacklisted. It happens.

Simon.

I am now closer to the problem.  It appears that my connector is not working.  The reason I can send test mails to myself through the 3rd party, is that they are not blocking my IP.

So how can I see where the SMTP connector is failing, where do I look for this log?

Header of sucessful mail:

Return-Path: <me@mydomain.com>
X-Original-To: you@yourdomain.com
Delivered-To: you@yourdomain.com
Received: from mx3.tigertech.net (morbo.tigertech.net [67.131.251.53])
      by elzar.tigertech.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 36F3B255C6B4
      for <you@yourdomain.com>; Fri,  2 Oct 2009 07:07:11 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
      by mx3.tigertech.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 26AB919E7C4
      for <you@yourdomain.com>; Fri,  2 Oct 2009 07:07:11 -0700 (PDT)
X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at morbo.tigertech.net
Received: from mx3.tigertech.net (localhost [127.0.0.1])
      by mx3.tigertech.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id A6E8019E7BF
      for <you@yourdomain.com>; Fri,  2 Oct 2009 07:07:10 -0700 (PDT)
X-TigerTech-Content-Filter: Clean
X-TigerTech-Spam-Status: Level 0 (High) (P0); Whitelisted TTSSA (me@mydomain.com whitelisted)
Received: from localcs.com (cpe-76-187-93-15.tx.res.rr.com [76.187.93.15])
      by mx3.tigertech.net (Postfix) with ESMTP
      for <you@yourdomain.com>; Fri,  2 Oct 2009 07:07:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Test 1
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 09:02:40 -0500
Message-ID: <A38307EAB0B6FB4892C573F81A0F0EB5F6B0@exchange.windowsdomain.local>
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-MS-Has-Attach:
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
      boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01CA4369.8F00168A"
X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: <A38307EAB0B6FB4892C573F81A0F0EB5F6B0@exchange.windowsdomain.local>
Thread-Topic: Test 1
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
thread-index: AcpDaQD5CMeAzVRPT0ySgy8JIQ9Nbg==
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5.7226.0
From: "John Doe" <me@mydomain.com>
To: "John Doe" <you@yourdomain.com>

I am now moving in the right direction.  For some reason in my connector it is not working when I have the namespace mydomain.com set.  If I change it to * all traffic is forced through the connector.

This really helped me understand the Queues better.  Currently I am getting bounced by my provider for permisions but we are working on that.

Once I get past that.  I need to figure out why the name space is causing the problem.

Thanks Simon!

All is working as long as my namespace is set to *

This works but I have more than one connector I want to setup.  Why do you figure the namespace is acting this way.

If you want, I can close this thread and ask about the namespace as a new thread.