A Lack of Email - The Next Saga

[kerravonsen]

So, as referenced here my outgoing email stopped working due to my ISP is declaring me "unauthorised" to send email via their mail server.

    550 Relay Denied - Unauthorized

The strange thing is that I'm still receiving email, I just can't send it.

So I ring up Business Support at my ISP. (I'm on a Business Plan because that's the only way I can have a static IP, something which is needed in order to run your own webserver/mailserver on your own domain)

Me: Hi, I run my own mail server, which is configured to use mail.iinet.net.au to relay through for outgoing mail. This has been working for YEARS. I didn't change anything at my end, but suddenly I'm getting this error, "550 Relay Denied - Unauthorized". So something changed at your end and you need to fix it.
Support: You do know we're no longer providing email mailbo-
Me: No, no, no, this has nothing to do with mailboxes. I don't use your mailboxes. I run my own mail server, and your system is no longer allowing me to use it as a relay. Incoming mail is still fine, but outgoing mail is being blocked.
Support: Have you talked to your mail provider?
Me: I am running my own mail server - I am my OWN mail provider!
Support: Let me transfer you to the appropriate department...

WAITING

Support: Transferring you now.
Recorded message: Press One if you need a password reset. Press two if ... Press 8 for other technical problem.
Me: (presses 8)
(dialtone)

I ring business support again. Get a different person.

Me: Hi, I am customer number (gives number)
Support: How can I help you?
Me: I'm not sure if you can, but here goes. I run my own mail server, which is configured to use mail.iinet.net.au to relay through for outgoing mail. This has been working for YEARS. Incoming mail is okay, but outgoing mail is being blocked. With this error message (repeats error message).
Support: You do know we're no longer providing email mailbo-
Me: No, no, no, no, no, no, this has nothing to do with mailboxes. I don't use your mailboxes. I run my own mail server, and your system is no longer allowing me to use it as a relay. It is giving me this error message (repeats error message). Do you understand?
Support: Yes.
Me: Repeat what you think I said.
Support: You run your own mail server.
Me: Yes.
Support: Have you tried talking to your mail provider?
Me: I am my OWN mail provider! That's what running your own mail server means!
Support: We don't provide email services, we just provide phone and internet services.
Me: This IS an internet service. I'm a business customer, I'm paying a premium for a static IP.
Support: Would you like to talk to a supervisor?
Me: Yes.

WAITING

MORE WAITING

MORE WATING

Supervisor: Hi, I'm Jason, from Escalation Services. How can I help you?
Me: (explains the problem again)
Supervisor: But we don't provide email services any more.
Me: I'm not using your mailboxes, this is an SMTP email server relay.
Supervisor: We don't provide email services.
Me: So you're telling me, that I, a business customer, who pays a premium for a static IP, can't run my own mail server?
Supervisor: That's an email service.
Me: But if I was running a webserver, and you were blocking that, you would fix it? But not a mail server, which I also need for my business?
Supervisor: ...
Me: Well, looks like I'm going to need a new ISP. (hangs up)

This sucks. This sucks dead bunnies. I am pissed off.

Comments

[thewayne]

The reason why you're able to receive but not send is that email is actually two different programs running off of two ports. So they probably started blocking the port that outbound mail is on, possibly they added or reconfigured a new firewall to their system or have a new security engineer who didn't know they had business customers who ran static IP addresses and their own SMTP servers.

I can't give you any better explanation than that, I've never understood that duality of email. Though I've been a sysadmin, I've never worked at that level of granularity.

You might try talking to them again, escalate, and ask to talk to one of their firewall security people. They might/should understand what the problem is.

I was once a Cisco certified network person and studied network security a long time ago and understand network security and router/firewall configuration to a degree, but my knowledge is rather stale and the field has moved considerably forward since those times.

[kerravonsen]

No, it is NOT a blocked port. That would have been giving a different error message. The fact that it said "Relay Blocked - Unauthorized" indicates that my mail server was able to get through to their mail server (the port was not blocked) and their mail server responded with "f**k off".

They are well aware of what ports are used and that business customers may wish them to be un-blocked, because there is a specific page on their user portal for turning port blocking on or off.

The consequences for business users running their own SMTP servers -- I don't know if they were ignorant of that or if they simply don't give a damn. It doesn't matter which it is, because either of those reasons makes them someone I no longer wish to do business with. But I need to investigate who to move to and how, before I can change ISPs.