xmail not receiving off-network email

[gcostanz]

I have successfully installed xmail on a Linux (Mandrake 8) server. I can send and receive mail within my domain. I can also send and recieve mail to my ISP account and the reverse (I'm using Roadrunner from Time Warner). I can send mail to any valid email address. However, I do not receive mail from other users (not on Roadrunner network). My server.tab file looks correct. Can my ISP be blocking incomming mail, or have I configured something improperly?

Has anyone had this problem?

[davide]

There are two ways to receive email inside XMail :

1) through SMTP ( you MUST MX records for your domain )

2) through POP3 fetch

If your domain does not have world visible MX records
you won't receive any email.


- Davide

[gcostanz]

Davide,

DIG reports that my MX record is correct for my domain (garylynn.net) e.g. I have an MX record for mail.garylynn.net

The fact that I can send mail from my ISP to my mail server suggests that the MX record is working. My problem is that no one else can send me mail. The returned mail they receive indicates a timeout trying to connect to the MTA, followed by subsequent tries over several hours until their mailer gives up.

Do you have any other thoughts as to what might be happening?

gvc

quote:
There are two ways to receive email inside XMail :

1) through SMTP ( you MUST MX records for your domain )

2) through POP3 fetch

If your domain does not have world visible MX records
you won't receive any email.


- Davide

[gcostanz]

<b>Can anyone offer any suggestions here?</b> This problem has me stumped, and I will have to move on to another MTA if I can't resolve it in a timely manner. I'd appreciate any assistance you can offer.

-- gvc

[jdavies]

XMail doens't appear to be your problem!

From my side of the atlantic I can see:
one MX record for garylynn.net, pointing to mail.garylynn.net
I can't ping mail.garylynn.net, and can trace a route only as far as roc-24-93-2-161.rochester.rr.com [24.93.2.161]
then it gets stuck.

I suspect that either your ISP has blocked incoming traffic (except in response to outgoing requests) - unlikely, or that they've just configured their network in a way that just takes too darn long for anything to get through - odd.

options:
1. chase your ISP and ask why traffic can't get through
2. change ISP (probably not an option really)
3. ask if you can use your ISP's mail servers as a mail relay - you would then have to add another MX record(s) for your domain pointing to your isp's mailers, but with a lower priority.

Cheers,
Jon

quote:
Can anyone offer any suggestions here? This problem has me stumped, and I will have to move on to another MTA if I can't resolve it in a timely manner. I'd appreciate any assistance you can offer.

-- gvc

[gcostanz]

Jon,

Thanks for your helpful reply. My firewall (Bastille) is configured to block ping requests, so that explains why you could not trace the entire route. My web page (same address) is visable to the net-at-large so I don't think the ISP is blocking traffic, unless they can do that specifically for mail?

I can't help thinking that my firewall is the problem. Can you tell me what port Xmail listens for incoming mail? My firewall DOES permit SMTP traffic. And the really wierd thing is that I can send mail through my ISP mail address to my home server address (garylynn) and it works just fine-- so XMail must be receiving mail. Can the ISP only block incomming mail traffic? I would not put it past TimeWarner to do something like that. Otherwise the cable modem has been great.

Can there be a problem with my mail headers that causes rejection of incomming mail? My machine has two network interfaces (1) my internal LAN using 192.168.0.0 addressing and my external interface with the mail.garylynn.net IP address. My machine name uses my internal Lan domain name (I use .gondor for a LAN domain name. Is XMail using my machine name when checking the incomming mail?

gary

[gcostanz]

Jon,

Thanks for your helpful reply. My firewall (Bastille) is configured to block ping requests, so that explains why you could not trace the entire route. My web page (same address) is visable to the net-at-large so I don't think the ISP is blocking traffic, unless they can do that specifically for mail?

I can't help thinking that my firewall is the problem. Can you tell me what port Xmail listens for incoming mail? My firewall DOES permit SMTP traffic. And the really wierd thing is that I can send mail through my ISP mail address to my home server address (garylynn) and it works just fine-- so XMail must be receiving mail. Can the ISP only block incomming mail traffic? I would not put it past TimeWarner to do something like that. Otherwise the cable modem has been great.

Can there be a problem with my mail headers that causes rejection of incomming mail? My machine has two network interfaces (1) my internal LAN using 192.168.0.0 addressing and my external interface with the mail.garylynn.net IP address. My machine name uses my internal Lan domain name (I use .gondor for a LAN domain name. Is XMail using my machine name when checking the incomming mail?

gary

[gcostanz]

Jon,

Thanks for your helpful reply. My firewall (Bastille) is configured to block ping requests, so that explains why you could not trace the entire route. My web page (same address) is visable to the net-at-large so I don't think the ISP is blocking traffic, unless they can do that specifically for mail?

I can't help thinking that my firewall is the problem. Can you tell me what port Xmail listens for incoming mail? My firewall DOES permit SMTP traffic. And the really wierd thing is that I can send mail through my ISP mail address to my home server address (garylynn) and it works just fine-- so XMail must be receiving mail. Can the ISP only block incomming mail traffic? I would not put it past TimeWarner to do something like that. Otherwise the cable modem has been great.

Can there be a problem with my mail headers that causes rejection of incomming mail? My machine has two network interfaces (1) my internal LAN using 192.168.0.0 addressing and my external interface with the mail.garylynn.net IP address. My machine name uses my internal Lan domain name (I use .gondor for a LAN domain name. Is XMail using my machine name when checking the incomming mail?

gary

[idmon]

try unblocking you smtp

allow all traffic through with
"0.0.0.0"[tab]"0.0.0.0" ALLOW in your smtp.imap.tab

if you haven't done so. That used to be my problem, can't tell whether it's your or not.

[davide]

The telnet to mail.garylynn.net to port 25 does not work.
If You can send mail from Your ISP that means that Your ISP firewall is blocking inbound traffic to Your port 25.