topic Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net in Email

Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Sun, 07 May 2023 15:55:03 GMT

Hi all, I'm hoping someone can help : )

I've been happily using Gmail's "Send mail as:" feature to "Add another email address" and send email through relay.plus.net for the last couple of years... but since last week I started seeing delivery failures for all my emails with the message:

554 avasout-peh-004 smtp ESMTP server not available (blacklisted by local policy)

I went into Gmail's web interface, deleted the configuration and then tried adding it back in again (smtp server relay.plus.net, port 587, my username & password, Secured connection with TLS) and got the message "Couldn't reach server. Please double-check the server and port number." Tried different ports (25, 465) and SSL instead of TLS - still no joy.

Looking on this forum, this is probably a blocked IP address and I need to get it unblocked. Problem is, it's not MY IP address that has the problem - I can configure a local copy of Thunderbird to send email through relay.plus.net just fine!

Any ideas, please?

Thanks!

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Townman — Mon, 08 May 2023 08:37:36 GMT

The correct encryption setting for the SMTP server on port 587 is STARTTLS, not TLS.

I would have thought that if you are sending from your Gmail address "on behalf of" your Plusnet account it ought to be sent using Gmail's SMTP servers.

The local copy of Thunderbird will be using the native Plusnet account, configured properly, sent from your IP address so will work fine.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 13:43:14 GMT

Hello CronByss, Was this issue sorted? if so, can you tell us what was the fix. I am having the same issue now.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

ClaudiaG23 — Mon, 15 May 2023 13:55:11 GMT

Hey @CronByss and @Deepmind, we're currently looking into a possible issue with Gmail. We'll need a bit more information from both of you to help with this investigation.

Can both of you send me a private message please with the following:

Email address sending from
Email address sending to
Time and date of email send

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 14:25:03 GMT

Sent you a PM with a screen shot of error on relay.plus.net

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:01:35 GMT

GMAIL ADDMAIL SETUP WINDOW

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Townman — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:31:34 GMT

As per here - https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/How-to-change-your-outgoing-server-on-a-mail-client/m-p/1606155#M26518 / the SMTP server for MAAF is not mail. but smtp.

Port should be 587 and encryption STARTTLS.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:40:25 GMT

Thanks. tried that and it does not work.

Error Message: **Couldn't reach server. Please double check server and port number..**

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:22:20 GMT

Hi all,

Yes, I still get the same error when trying to use the Gmail client to send email through Plus.net's SMTP servers. I "fixed it" by using a different hosting provider to route my email from Gmail.

I'd previously tried all permutations available through the Gmail interface but, for the avoidance of doubt, I can confirm the attempting to send through relay.plus.net on port 465 with SSL authentication still results in the message "Couldn't reach server. Please double-check the server and port number".

I got those settings from https://www.plus.net/help/email-guides/how-to-set-up-plusnet-email/ and not the other URL provided in this thread.

It should be easily reproducible to anyone with a Gmail account?

Failing that, I'd be happy to forward the headers from a returned email to someone who can look deeper. That's what included the "blacklisted by local policy" message that started all this for me.

Cheers

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:28:50 GMT

Now figured out how to send @ClaudiaG23 a private message with an example set of headers! Hopefully they will help.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:37:41 GMT

@CronByss thanks do much for your detailed reply. I have always had my email account from callnetuk to -madasafish to -plusnet which all worked for years. i just kept getting returned messages from Gmail client since last week and decided to delete and reinstate on gmail platform and that's when all went South.

Hopefully Plusnet Tech. can rectify the issue. I personally think its the Plusnet server has issues and keep rejecting "handshake tokens" from gmail.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Townman — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:47:03 GMT

Both,

If your email is hosted elsewhere why are you sending email via Plusnet’s SMTP servers? You ought to use the SMTP servers associated with your domain’s MX inbound service.

Email forwarding has become bad karma over the years thanks to Gmail enforcing non-mandatory RFCs. Life is far simpler avoiding email forwarding and host your mailbox on your domain host’s services.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:48:31 GMT

@Townman , in a word: history. Correcting that is how I "fixed" the problem for me.

However, the inability to send mail from the Gmail client through plusnet's smtp servers remains, and ought to be fixed anyway - as other customers using plusnet domains will hit it.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:49:01 GMT

@Deepmind , my commiserations!

Sounds like we both took the same debugging step and took a giant leap backwards. Great minds think alike : )

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:52:10 GMT

@Townman , actually, re-reading @Deepmind 's email, I don't think they're using email hosted elsewhere are they? Aren't they saying their account is so old, they've been through various different acquisitions before being sold to plusnet?

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 18:04:38 GMT

@CronByss @Townman

I have other email host but want to keep my original CALLNETUK email address. I even tried to buy the Domain just to keep the email address. Just a silly sentimental value i think. Anyway thanks for your directions and replies. I working with Plusnet Staff ( ClaudiaG23) to see how this can be sorted. I will keep you posted..

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Townman — Mon, 15 May 2023 18:58:42 GMT

Having two distinct issues (albeit seen as similar symptoms because Gmail is involved) on one topic does not help deliver clarity.

In respect of doing anything with Gmail what used to work has a high risk of being consigned to history, especially where email forwarding is involved. Gmail has mandated a number of non-mandatory standards which bite hard where one attempts to send via Plusnet’s SMTP servers where the sending email address is not @*.plus.com … unless that domain is fully hosted by Plusnet.

If the MX for your domain is elsewhere, one ought not to be using Plusnet’s relay services. You might have got away with it before, but Gmail’s mandation of SPF and DKIM really muddies the waters. Defining those for a third party domain does not fall within Plusnet’s regime to implement or fix.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:07:40 GMT

@Townman Plusnet bought Madasafish which was previously Callnetuk. If they decide not to adopt those services then the have to notify subscribers to make alternative plans. Plusnet still support and maintain those Servers and should update protocols.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

CronByss — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:32:50 GMT

@Townman

I don't understand your position. The topic is "I'm having trouble sending email through Plusnet's SMTP servers from Gmail, please help". There are two symptoms reported because both I and Deepmind attempted to delete and recreate the Gmail configuration while investigating, which can no longer be successfully completed and taking us further from the topic's goal.

The symptoms are invariant to domain and remain true if I try to ask Gmail to forward emails from my *.plus.com through relay.plus.com.

I have successfully set up Gmail to forward emails from my alternative provider, so the Gmail feature isn't irretrievably broken.

Re: Problems using Gmail client to send email through relay.plus.net

Deepmind — Mon, 15 May 2023 20:02:43 GMT

Update From PlusNet Staff:

"I'm afraid if webmail is working then it's out of our hands. This will be a client site issue which is something we don't support unfortunately. "

It seems that this issue cannot be solved.