Mails rejected by Hotmail

[NetProwler]

One of our clients has suddenly found a new problem - his mails are rejected by Hotmail with this error message:

Remote host said: 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. The Spamhaus Project 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.

I have taken up this issue with MSN Postmaster through this page: MSN Postmaster

I checked out that the domain is not black listed. And after a detailed analysis, it is found that Gmail also drops the mails quietly without rejecting them. But mails emanating from the client's mail server reaches other domains with out any melodrama.

What do I miss here ?

[danlefree]

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.

You will need to proxy any SMTP services which you are hosting at home or use a mail relay to get through to Hotmail.

[NetProwler]

Thanks Dan. I solved the mystery of the rejected mail from Hotmail. Their Windows Live Hotmail Domain Support is very prompt. They sent me a list of things I should check. And I found one entry missing from the DNS configuration - SPF record. Actually when I set up the DNS months ago, I had set this up. But when the Cpanel was updated by the Host, they must have made some changes.

There are some very helpful pages about Sender ID Framework here: http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safe...d/default.mspx

I set up the SPF record and Voila - Hotmail is accepting the mails sent from the client's mail server now. But no joy with Gmail. Still I don't see my test mails in Gmail.

[danlefree]

It really sounds as though there is an issue with the client's IP from that Hotmail error.

Is your client's server located at their place of business, a datacenter, or ..?

[Tech Manager]

The problem may be related to being on a PBL list. Your client needs to adjust his/her DNS settings to reflect his/her company's authoritative web server.

The other thing your client needs to adjust is this: Make sure in Outlook (or other email client), under Outgoing Server he/she has checked "My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication."

[NetProwler]

Thanks Dan and Tech Manager.

Actually the original error message was pointing us in the wrong direction. The client mail server sits in his business premise. So I spent time checking everything. To add to the confusion, there was some fear that these mails are blocked by the Barracuda Spam Firewalls and Emailreg.org

Finally it was a case of a missing entry. Gmail after a gap of some hours has started accepting the mails.

At least my example would help someone looking for a reason for the rejection of mails from their server.

[wige]

My guess is that they are blocked because they are often used by spammers.

[NetProwler]

Another reason could be that for emails from Hotmail and Yahoo, the account will be deactivated if they find that the account is not in regular use. This would pose additional problems for the admins of the forum to restore the account in future. I am not sure about Gmail. Gmail doesn't deactivate the mail account for any long period of inactivity. As wige says most spammers use these free email accounts to launch their spam. It is the reason why many directories disallow submissions made from free email accounts.

[deepsand]

Another reason could be that for emails from Hotmail and Yahoo, the account will be deactivated if they find that the account is not in regular use.

While I cannot speak re. Yahoo, I can say that I've never seen evidence of such for HotMail; at this very moment, I can point to accounts that haven't been used in over 6 years and are still active.

[SusanMart]

While I cannot speak re. Yahoo, I can say that I've never seen evidence of such for HotMail; at this very moment, I can point to accounts that haven't been used in over 6 years and are still active.

that's true, I used to have an acount in hotmail, now have one in yahoo.
and once decided to check my old mail....I still could sign in.....about 4 years have passed....

so that makes sense