Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

by James Miller -
Number of replies: 6
I've experienced some headaches with mail from moodle being refused by
some domains (mostly AOL.com and hotmail.com). I use the the default
PHPMailer, which passes "apache@localhost" to my sendmail when queueing
for delivery.


Does anyone else have problems with mail being refused? What are the
practical consequences of running an smtp daemon locally and just
pushing mail directly avoiding the PHPMailer.


Some of the transcripts look like:

----- The following addresses had
permanent fatal errors -----
xxx@xxx.xxx
(reason: 354 Start mail input; end
with <CRLF>.<CRLF>)
----- Transcript of session follows
-----
554 5.5.0 Remote protocol error
--h1CKA6t32026.1045080606/cai.southeastern.edu
Content-Type: message/delivery-status
Reporting-MTA: dns; cai.southeastern.edu
Arrival-Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 15:10:02
-0500
Final-Recipient: RFC822; xxx@xxx.xxx
Action: failed
Status: 5.5.1
Remote-MTA: DNS; mx4.hotmail.com
Diagnostic-Code: SMTP; 354 Start mail
input; end with <CRLF>.<CRLF>
Last-Attempt-Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003
15:10:06 -0500
--h1CKA6t32026.1045080606/cai.southeastern.edu
Content-Type: message/rfc822
Return-Path: <apache>

----- The following addresses had
permanent fatal errors -----
xxx@xxx.xxx
(reason: 503 5.0.0 blsmail.bls.gov
Duplicate HELO/EHLO)
----- Transcript of session follows
-----
... while talking to blsmail.bls.gov.:
>>> MAIL
From:<apache@cai.southeastern.edu> SIZE=3427
<<< 503 5.0.0 blsmail.bls.gov
Duplicate HELO/EHLO
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable
--h1CDo8M31556.1045057808/cai.southeastern.edu
Content-Type: message/delivery-status
Reporting-MTA: dns; cai.southeastern.edu
Arrival-Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 08:50:03
-0500
Final-Recipient: RFC822; xxxx@xxx.xxx
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0
Diagnostic-Code: SMTP; 503 5.0.0
blsmail.bls.gov Duplicate HELO/EHLO
Last-Attempt-Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003
08:50:08 -0500

Average of ratings: -
In reply to James Miller

Re: Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

by James Miller -
anyone have advice on this issue?
In reply to James Miller

Re: Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

by Martin Dougiamas -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
This business with "Remote protocol error" implies that it's more a problem either with your version of sendmail or hotmail. I've never seen such errors before. Is your box fairly up to date?
In reply to James Miller

Re: Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

by Fig Newton -
I am also experiencing rejected emails from aol.com and netscape.com. I believe the problem is caused by the fact I am using Dynamic DNS.


----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mailin-04.mx.aol.com
(RTR:BB) The IP address you are using to connect to AOL is a dynamic
(residential) IP address. AOL will not accept future e-mail transactions
from this IP address until your ISP removes this IP address of dynamic (residential) IP addresses. For additional information,
please visit http://postmaster.info.aol.com.
... while talking to mailin-02.mx.aol.com.:


In reply to Fig Newton

Re: Advice on Moodle Mailing with PHPMailer and SMTP

by David Lamotte -
I am not exactly sure how AOL would know what you were doing with your IP address, but they do not need to see your system at all.

Do you have to run your own SMTP server ?

When I have run moodle at home, I have used the mail server at my ISP. All mail is then relayed on to the final destination, with the originating server being just some data in the mail header.

Are you able to do this ?

David
In reply to James Miller

Advice on emails from my Moodle

by Jon Bolton -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers
This problem has just reared its head for me...

I have just received an email from AOL relating to correspondence that was sent from my moodle installation at baillie.org.uk.

3 emails had not been delivered to the recipients, and the error message was RLY:BD. This error message indicates that a block has been placed against my IP address because AOL have received numerous complaints concerning mail coming from that IP address.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error.

SMTP error from remote mailer after end of data:
host mailin-02.mx.aol.com [205.188.156.249]: 554-:
(RLY:BD) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554rlybd.html
554 TRANSACTION FAILED

The error message is expanded on AOL's Postmaster.info website at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554rlybd.html

EXPLANATION:
This error message indicates that a block has been placed
against your IP address because we have received numerous
complaints concerning mail coming from that IP address.

SOLUTION:
Please have your ISP or server administrator contact AOL for
assistance. The mail administrator should request a feedback
loop that will alert them to reported spam from their
network.

I'm on a hosted server, so it's not about dynamic IP addressing. I know this is nothing to do with Moodle, but I just wanted to know if anyone else is having similar problems. I've been emailing the same recipients for over a year with no problems until today.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
In reply to Jon Bolton

Re: Advice on emails from my Moodle

by Martin Dougiamas -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Your host is probably a shared host with other sites.  One of those sites has probably been naughty and got your server onto a spam list.  It's also possible that the SMTP server on your server has not been properly secured against strangers using it.

Either way this is a job for your hosting provider and nothing to do with Moodle or this forum.