email issues POP3 and SPF

Thanks
the domain name is
rtwilliams.org.uk

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" wrote:

> "Chris" <> wrote in message
> news:F87A895E-57F4-4F92-9155-...
> > Hi guys, sorry for the slow response, I have been off sick for 2 months,
> > (serious back problems after an accident) just got back today.
> > The SPF issue is still ongoing, I have spoken to our domain hosts and they
> > have added the SPF corresponding to our fixed IP at their server, but
> > somehow
> > during the transport process another IP address is being added to the mail
> > still causing it to be returned.
> > Im going to contact our Internet provider to see why this is happening,
> > and
> > i will let you know how i make out.
> > Is there anything else I should be looking at?
> > Regards
> > Chris
> >
>
> Sorry to hear. I hope your back and you are doing better.
>
> Perhaps if you can post the actual domain name, we can take a look and make
> a determination.
>
> Ace
>
>
>
>
> .
>

"Chris" <> wrote in message
news:9D134609-6A85-4C7E-936B-...
> Thanks
> the domain name is
> rtwilliams.org.uk
>

Thanks for posting your domain name.

Currently, your SPF is:
"v=spf1 mx ip4:217.36.198.117 ip4:213.123.26.188 -all"

That should work fine, as long as the two IP addresses can send mail for
your domain name. The IP, 213.123.26.188, responds with a ping, however
217.36.198.117 does not. Is 217.36.198.117 an active machine but the
firewall is blocking ICMP, or is it actually down or does is even exist?

213.123.26.188 has a PTR entry, but it is a different domain name, as you
can see:
Name: c2beaomr10.btconnect.com
Address: 213.123.26.188

217.36.198.117 has a PTR entry, too, but it is another, different domain
name.
Name: host217-36-198-117.in-addr.btopenworld.com
Address: 217.36.198.117

Then I checked your MX records - they point to:
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
mailgate2.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.122)
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 20, mail exchanger =
mailgate3.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.128)
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
mailgate1.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.120)

They all have PTRs, which is good.

However, none of the IPs in your SPF match the MX records, so it's a bit
confusing. Are the IPs in your SPF the machines that send mail for your
domain, such as your SBS server? But it shows two different ones, which is
confusing.

What IP address should actually be receiving mail for your domain, and what
IP address should actually be sending mail from your domain??

Ace

Hi, once again your help is genuinely apreciated.
217.36.198.117 is the IP of our SBS and all mail is sent and recieved from
there, i can ping it internally
Btconnect.com and btopenworld both relate to British Telecom who provide our
internet and the IP 213.123.26.188 seems to be being added by them during the
transport process.

saq.net are our webhosts and they added the SPF for us.

mail has also been returned with the following
message:<c2bthomr02.btconnect.com #5.1.1 SMTP; 550 SPF: 213.123.20.120 is not
allowed to send mail from rtwilliams.org.uk>
This appears to be another different IP address in the equation

I hope that is all of the information you asked for
Many thanks again
Chris

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" wrote:

> "Chris" <> wrote in message
> news:9D134609-6A85-4C7E-936B-...
> > Thanks
> > the domain name is
> > rtwilliams.org.uk
> >
>
> Thanks for posting your domain name.
>
> Currently, your SPF is:
> "v=spf1 mx ip4:217.36.198.117 ip4:213.123.26.188 -all"
>
> That should work fine, as long as the two IP addresses can send mail for
> your domain name. The IP, 213.123.26.188, responds with a ping, however
> 217.36.198.117 does not. Is 217.36.198.117 an active machine but the
> firewall is blocking ICMP, or is it actually down or does is even exist?
>
> 213.123.26.188 has a PTR entry, but it is a different domain name, as you
> can see:
> Name: c2beaomr10.btconnect.com
> Address: 213.123.26.188
>
> 217.36.198.117 has a PTR entry, too, but it is another, different domain
> name.
> Name: host217-36-198-117.in-addr.btopenworld.com
> Address: 217.36.198.117
>
> Then I checked your MX records - they point to:
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
> mailgate2.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.122)
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 20, mail exchanger =
> mailgate3.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.128)
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
> mailgate1.saqnet.co.uk (195.2.128.120)
>
> They all have PTRs, which is good.
>
> However, none of the IPs in your SPF match the MX records, so it's a bit
> confusing. Are the IPs in your SPF the machines that send mail for your
> domain, such as your SBS server? But it shows two different ones, which is
> confusing.
>
> What IP address should actually be receiving mail for your domain, and what
> IP address should actually be sending mail from your domain??
>
> Ace
>
>
>
> .
>

"Chris" <> wrote in message
news:9A68796F-0173-4440-8539-...
> Hi, once again your help is genuinely apreciated.
> 217.36.198.117 is the IP of our SBS and all mail is sent and recieved
> from
> there, i can ping it internally
> Btconnect.com and btopenworld both relate to British Telecom who provide
> our
> internet and the IP 213.123.26.188 seems to be being added by them during
> the
> transport process.
>
> saq.net are our webhosts and they added the SPF for us.
>
> mail has also been returned with the following
> message:<c2bthomr02.btconnect.com #5.1.1 SMTP; 550 SPF: 213.123.20.120 is
> not
> allowed to send mail from rtwilliams.org.uk>
> This appears to be another different IP address in the equation
>
> I hope that is all of the information you asked for
> Many thanks again
> Chris
>

That appears to be another IP:
Non-authoritative answer:
Name: rtwilliams.org.uk
Address: 195.2.139.198

I'm having difficulty keeping up with all of the IPs associated with your MX
record.

If your SBS sends and receives ALL mail for your domain from 217.36.198.117,
then If I were you, I would tell them to simply create a mail records,
called (suggestion), rtwilliams.org.uk, fix the SPF so it only shows this
IP, then point your MX to mail.rtwilliams.org.uk, and not all of these
below.

Non-authoritative answer:
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 20, mail exchanger =
mailgate3.saqnet.co.uk
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
mailgate1.saqnet.co.uk
rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
mailgate2.saqnet.co.uk

Also, I can't see how you can ping 217.36.198.117 from internally if it is
truly your WAN IP, considering you are saying that this is truly your SBS
server, and that is the WAN IP of your network. Unless I am missing
something, or your mail setup is inaccurate, or your router has the ability
to do a "U-Turn."

In addition, if 217.36.198.117 is your SBS, and it's sending and receiving
all mail, then why are you using a POP3 connector? If you've removed it,
and SBS is sending and receiving all mail, that's good, then you would need
to remove it, otherwise, I don't follow what the POP3 connector is for and
not sure what it's connecting to?

Ace

Thanks for the reply.
I forgot to mention we have ditched POP3 and are using SMTP for send and
recieve.
the SmallBusiness SMTP connector, is set to:
Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts:
smtp.btconnect.com
I can defiantely ping 217.36.198.117 from any client computer on the network.
The server has two network cards
one is connected to the router and has the fixed IP 217.36.198.117
the other is connected to the internal network switch IP 192.168.16.250
preferred DNS server on both cards is set to 192.168.16.250

We also have another issue , where we cant acess our companys external
website, I dont know if this could be causing any mail problems, its a long
shot but i thought i ought to mention it. (I did post a question, but have
been advised to call a professional in due to my lack of knowledge)
Thanks again for your help
Chris

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" wrote:

> "Chris" <> wrote in message
> news:9A68796F-0173-4440-8539-...
> > Hi, once again your help is genuinely apreciated.
> > 217.36.198.117 is the IP of our SBS and all mail is sent and recieved
> > from
> > there, i can ping it internally
> > Btconnect.com and btopenworld both relate to British Telecom who provide
> > our
> > internet and the IP 213.123.26.188 seems to be being added by them during
> > the
> > transport process.
> >
> > saq.net are our webhosts and they added the SPF for us.
> >
> > mail has also been returned with the following
> > message:<c2bthomr02.btconnect.com #5.1.1 SMTP; 550 SPF: 213.123.20.120 is
> > not
> > allowed to send mail from rtwilliams.org.uk>
> > This appears to be another different IP address in the equation
> >
> > I hope that is all of the information you asked for
> > Many thanks again
> > Chris
> >
>
> That appears to be another IP:
> Non-authoritative answer:
> Name: rtwilliams.org.uk
> Address: 195.2.139.198
>
> I'm having difficulty keeping up with all of the IPs associated with your MX
> record.
>
> If your SBS sends and receives ALL mail for your domain from 217.36.198.117,
> then If I were you, I would tell them to simply create a mail records,
> called (suggestion), rtwilliams.org.uk, fix the SPF so it only shows this
> IP, then point your MX to mail.rtwilliams.org.uk, and not all of these
> below.
>
> Non-authoritative answer:
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 20, mail exchanger =
> mailgate3.saqnet.co.uk
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
> mailgate1.saqnet.co.uk
> rtwilliams.org.uk MX preference = 10, mail exchanger =
> mailgate2.saqnet.co.uk
>
> Also, I can't see how you can ping 217.36.198.117 from internally if it is
> truly your WAN IP, considering you are saying that this is truly your SBS
> server, and that is the WAN IP of your network. Unless I am missing
> something, or your mail setup is inaccurate, or your router has the ability
> to do a "U-Turn."
>
> In addition, if 217.36.198.117 is your SBS, and it's sending and receiving
> all mail, then why are you using a POP3 connector? If you've removed it,
> and SBS is sending and receiving all mail, that's good, then you would need
> to remove it, otherwise, I don't follow what the POP3 connector is for and
> not sure what it's connecting to?
>
> Ace
>
>
> .
>

"Chris" <> wrote in message
news:585702AF-2CF8-44FE-9490-...
> Thanks for the reply.
> I forgot to mention we have ditched POP3 and are using SMTP for send and
> recieve.

Then the your subject is confusing.

> the SmallBusiness SMTP connector, is set to:
> Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts:
> smtp.btconnect.com

Why??? You just said your server is sending and receiving all mail to and
from the internet. So in essence, it is really not.


> I can defiantely ping 217.36.198.117 from any client computer on the
> network.
> The server has two network cards
> one is connected to the router and has the fixed IP 217.36.198.117
> the other is connected to the internal network switch IP 192.168.16.250
> preferred DNS server on both cards is set to 192.168.16.250

I see. So your SBS server is the router. Thanks for clearing that up.

If I may suggest, to disable the "outer" NIC (the one with 217.36.198.117)
and acquire an actual firewall/router (such as a Cisco ASA, SonicWall, etc)
for the network connection and setup port remap rules to the SBS for mail,
RWW, and OWA (25, 4125, 80, 443 respectively). It will make things much
easier for you.


>
> We also have another issue , where we cant acess our companys external
> website, I dont know if this could be causing any mail problems, its a
> long
> shot but i thought i ought to mention it. (I did post a question, but have
> been advised to call a professional in due to my lack of knowledge)
> Thanks again for your help
> Chris
>

If you follow my suggestions, it should clear up the problem. However,
Chris, I think that may be good advise to get a professional that is
familiar with this. With limited experience, it may be difficult to get this
setup properly through newsgroup postings, due to experience and terminology
difference.

Let us know how you make out.

Ace

Thanks again. Regarding the Subject, that was true originally, but we were
advised to ditch pop3 and that was the first thing we did before I went off
sick... sorry for the confusion. so the SPF was the only outstanding issue.
can you reccomend a professional who can either come in or log in to the
system and do it, or talk me through it on the phone? we are based in South
East England near Brighton.
Regards
Chris

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" wrote:

> "Chris" <> wrote in message
> news:585702AF-2CF8-44FE-9490-...
> > Thanks for the reply.
> > I forgot to mention we have ditched POP3 and are using SMTP for send and
> > recieve.
>
> Then the your subject is confusing.
>
> > the SmallBusiness SMTP connector, is set to:
> > Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts:
> > smtp.btconnect.com
>
> Why??? You just said your server is sending and receiving all mail to and
> from the internet. So in essence, it is really not.
>
>
> > I can defiantely ping 217.36.198.117 from any client computer on the
> > network.
> > The server has two network cards
> > one is connected to the router and has the fixed IP 217.36.198.117
> > the other is connected to the internal network switch IP 192.168.16.250
> > preferred DNS server on both cards is set to 192.168.16.250
>
> I see. So your SBS server is the router. Thanks for clearing that up.
>
> If I may suggest, to disable the "outer" NIC (the one with 217.36.198.117)
> and acquire an actual firewall/router (such as a Cisco ASA, SonicWall, etc)
> for the network connection and setup port remap rules to the SBS for mail,
> RWW, and OWA (25, 4125, 80, 443 respectively). It will make things much
> easier for you.
>
>
> >
> > We also have another issue , where we cant acess our companys external
> > website, I dont know if this could be causing any mail problems, its a
> > long
> > shot but i thought i ought to mention it. (I did post a question, but have
> > been advised to call a professional in due to my lack of knowledge)
> > Thanks again for your help
> > Chris
> >
>
> If you follow my suggestions, it should clear up the problem. However,
> Chris, I think that may be good advise to get a professional that is
> familiar with this. With limited experience, it may be difficult to get this
> setup properly through newsgroup postings, due to experience and terminology
> difference.
>
> Let us know how you make out.
>
> Ace
>
>
>
> .
>

"Chris" <> wrote in message
news:1C55E1CA-6FCD-4F5A-9732-...
> Thanks again. Regarding the Subject, that was true originally, but we were
> advised to ditch pop3 and that was the first thing we did before I went
> off
> sick... sorry for the confusion. so the SPF was the only outstanding
> issue.
> can you reccomend a professional who can either come in or log in to the
> system and do it, or talk me through it on the phone? we are based in
> South
> East England near Brighton.
> Regards
> Chris

Being from the US, I don't know of anyone in England. From your posts, it
may take a little time to evaluate and change things over, eliminating the
extra NIC, getting a router/firewall, setting it up, etc, and doing it over
the phone may not be the easiest. Maybe someone else in the groups will know
someone local.

Ace