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SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time

Offline edb

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SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« on: March 04, 2022, 04:57:38 PM »
SMTP Transaction Time   5.468 seconds - Warning on Transaction Time

We have one customer that is having email returned as a result of the smeserver timing out before the transaction is completed. This is not an issue with our primary MX (5) server but just the secondary SMEserver MX (10) server takes much longer as indicated above.

It is only one customer that I know of that is having this issue in sending email to us and this is only if their server connects to the secondary MX SMEserver. I assume that maybe MX is round-robbin perhaps as I always thought that mail always went to the MX record (5) in this case. Their mail seems to go through a cloud based email filtering system called infosec if that helps.
It is a real mystery to me but I'm thinking that it must be that their mail server needs to have the SMTP connection timeout setting adjusted but I really don't know. Not sure otherwise why this would happen to just this customer.
Any input appreciated.

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Offline ReetP

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2022, 07:56:06 PM »
HI,

Please read the 'how to report bugs effectively ' post at the top of this forum.

You have effectively said 'something doesn't work' and them given us zero real information to demonstrate that fact or to have any chance of giving you advice.

Please read that post and then give us a decent breakdown, server layouts, DNS, logs, tests that you have done etc.

What about the details from their rejected mail? Have you tied that to an incoming message in your SME qpsmtpd logs?

If it actually comes via say infosec and it is an infosec server trying to connect then again, what do you logs say about this?
...
1. Read the Manual
2. Read the Wiki
3. Don't ask for support on Unsupported versions of software
4. I have a job, wife, and kids and do this in my spare time. If you want something fixed, please help.

Bugs are easier than you think: http://wiki.contribs.org/Bugzilla_Help

If you love SME and don't want to lose it, join in: http://wiki.contribs.org/Koozali_Foundation

Offline edb

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2022, 08:36:27 PM »
It's not a bug!
It's a question ... what would cause a sending server to timeout before completing the email delivery to an smeserver?
All I want to know is if anyone else has experienced a similar problem where some hosted services have problems sending to an smeserver with slow SMTP Connection Time over 3 or 4 seconds?
Our primary Barracuda MX server responds within 0.218 seconds and that server has no issues at all it is only when the other MX server (the smeserver) is used that the issue presents itself. So I'm thinking the issue is with the hosted server have a short SMTP timeout less than 2-3 seconds perhaps.

Even this forum email server is slow to respond:
220-pmg.koozali.org ESMTP Koozali<br />220 pmg.koozali.org ESMTP Koozali
   Test    Result    
   SMTP Connection Time    6.370 seconds - Warning on Connection time
   SMTP Transaction Time    7.254 seconds - Warning on Transaction Time
   SMTP Reverse DNS Mismatch    OK - 51.210.31.244 resolves to front.koozali.org    

However I don't think that this forum email server has any issues as an example.
   
« Last Edit: March 04, 2022, 08:38:46 PM by edb »
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Offline ReetP

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2022, 09:06:41 PM »
It's not a bug!

Who knows? None of us will unless we have more information.

And the post was headed 'how to report problems effectively'.

Treat it like a bug until someone says otherwise. Do your due diligence. Prepare your information properly. Be methodical. Don't guess. Don't try and add 2 and 4 to make 7.

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It's a question ... what would cause a sending server to timeout before completing the email delivery to an smeserver?

Lots of things. We need to establish some facts but you have given us no information.

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All I want to know is if anyone else has experienced a similar problem where some hosted services have problems sending to an smeserver with slow SMTP Connection Time over 3 or 4 seconds?

Even if they did, it may not relate to your own specific case. Perhaps you have specific issues, and a specific setup or even a real problem. So far it is all too vague and you will end up chasing ghosts.

My servers all work perfectly well. But it is hardly a comparison is it?

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Our primary Barracuda MX server responds within 0.218 seconds and that server has no issues at all it is only when the other MX server (the smeserver) is used that the issue presents itself. So I'm thinking the issue is with the hosted server have a short SMTP timeout less than 2-3 seconds perhaps.

We don't know anything about any of your hardware yet. Where it is hosted, what sort of hardware, network connection, etc etc.

You can't really compare your Barracuda with SME just like that, and certainly not without some hard facts. Are they in the same place, self hosted, remote, what are there networks speeds, are there firewalls in the way etc etc.

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There are just so many things here
Even this forum email server is slow to respond:

What on earth has that got to do with a client sending a mail? You are trying to compare chalk and cheese. For all we know you are stuck in the middle of the Pacific using a 2.5G mobile phone for connection. That would lag a bit I am sure.

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However I don't think that this forum email server has any issues as an example.

It is a complete irrelevance to your setup, and I can't see any relevance to the initial problem you outlined.

Please, go back to basics. Stop guessing and get us some solid information about your setup, please.

Network layout, and some logs showing an incoming mail for starters. Thanks.
...
1. Read the Manual
2. Read the Wiki
3. Don't ask for support on Unsupported versions of software
4. I have a job, wife, and kids and do this in my spare time. If you want something fixed, please help.

Bugs are easier than you think: http://wiki.contribs.org/Bugzilla_Help

If you love SME and don't want to lose it, join in: http://wiki.contribs.org/Koozali_Foundation

Offline edb

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2022, 09:35:50 PM »
Wow is this a forum or what?

Here is an example of the issue and if this isn't enough info for you then don't engage and I will just delete the original post.

Taking an example deferral log:

2022-03-04 16:19:30.896 +00:00   
6695F41E24: to=<xxx@mydomain.com>, relay=none, delay=2264, delays=2204/0/60/0, dsn=4.4.1, status=deferred (connect to smeserver.mydomain.com[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]:25: Connection timed out)

You can see above in bold is how long it was trying to connect, so it was trying to setup the connection for 60 seconds.
Then failed and the message is never delivered.

Is this perhaps more likely that the smeserver is blocking the server IP that is trying to deliver the message?
I think that this could be the case as it is not causing issues with any other incoming messages we receive.

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Offline edb

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2022, 10:46:08 PM »
So it turns out that it was a case of a blocked IP within the Email WBL contrib - Black List section so I removed all the old IPs and entries I had black listed. Got them to test sending an email again and voila it works now!

So it must have been a black listed address or IP that was causing the problem.
Strange but glad it is fixed now.

Case closed!
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Offline ReetP

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2022, 11:35:09 PM »
Wow is this a forum or what?

Yes it where people with problems come to ask other experienced people how to try and help solve them.

I'm not the one with the problem.

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Here is an example of the issue and if this isn't enough info for you then don't engage and I will just delete the original post.

One line from a log is no real help. We really needed to see the whole transaction.

Quite simply there is nowhere enough information to make an informed decision.

We could play guessing games all night but this is my own time, and I don't have the time for that.

And then....

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So it turns out that it was a case of a blocked IP within the Email WBL contrib

So, as I said at the start. Stop guessing, go through things methodically.

Your mail logs would have told you this immediately. A full transaction would have told us this too (as I asked right at the start)

I didn't write that original thread on how to ask for help just for fun, but based on a good few decades of experience trying to solve issues like yours.

So I was asking for information that may have helped solve the issue (you are the one with the problem, not us). And the logs would have done so (as is normal 95% of the time)

If you had just provided the info right at the start we'd have this boxed off in a couple of posts.....

I'm sorry if that is inconvenient but I've seen enough xyinfo issues etc to know that getting a decent amount of solid information means we can solve your issue faster, which wastes a lot less time for us, which means I can go back to debugging a really nasty SME issue in my spare time, and trying to build some stuff to help keep you secure.

Enjoy your day and look forward to seeing some of your contributions in due course.
...
1. Read the Manual
2. Read the Wiki
3. Don't ask for support on Unsupported versions of software
4. I have a job, wife, and kids and do this in my spare time. If you want something fixed, please help.

Bugs are easier than you think: http://wiki.contribs.org/Bugzilla_Help

If you love SME and don't want to lose it, join in: http://wiki.contribs.org/Koozali_Foundation

Offline edb

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Re: SMTP connection timeout - Warning on Transaction Time
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2022, 11:47:25 PM »
Sorry you are right, I should have collected the appropriate information as you requested.
I was just looking for a quick simple answer to confirm my own theories.

I will do better next time in providing more info.
Have a great weekend and thank you for your contributions to this forum!

I do appreciate you!

-edb
« Last Edit: March 05, 2022, 12:57:15 AM by edb »
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