topic Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain in Email

Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

ColinKent — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 13:52:36 GMT

I'm running my own email with my own domain.
I recently moved to plusnet and now have a static IP and have requested rDNS records to be set up.

I note that the public IP address i have (along with the whole class C) is on 2 RBLs.

I'm not overly concerned as i forward all email from my server via an SMTP2GO account.
however i'm curious to know if its possible to just relay via relay.plus.net for my own domain ?

if so should it be authenticated and on which port ?

Regards

Colin.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

Townman — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:16:48 GMT

Hi Colin,

Given that you are a (comparatively) new customer, you do not have authenticated access to the Plusnet email servers available to you.

That does raise the question of if, when connected to the Plusnet network, you can make an unauthenticated connection to the SMTP server...

relay.plus.net port 587 STARTTLS

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

ColinKent — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:30:51 GMT

thanks for the reply.

i am using SMTP2GO for outgoing SMTP so i'm not overly concerned.

How long is reasonable before i might get access to Authenticated access ?

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

jab1 — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:39:42 GMT

How long is reasonable before i might get access to Authenticated access ?

You won't - PN no longer offer an email service to new customers.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

MisterW — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:12:28 GMT

That does raise the question of if, when connected to the Plusnet network, you can make an unauthenticated connection to the SMTP server...

@Townman how would it know that the account doesnt have access ?

Can it determine the account associated with the IP ? and even if it could , would it bother ?

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

Townman — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 18:05:52 GMT

@MisterW

That was a light bulb thought as I drafted my response on re-reading the precise semantics of the OP.

There is the straightforward answer that email is not available to new users, or to put it differently new accounts cannot authenticate with the mail servers.

That lead to reflection on the configuration guidelines for the SMTP server which state authentication is OPTIONAL when connecting on the Plusnet network. Therefore logically a new user having no (authenticated) access to the email servers might, when on the Plusnet network, be able to use the outgoing server without authentication.

That said in today’s paradigms it is unlikely to get far with the mandating of the non-mandatory SPF and DKIM anti-spam measures.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

ColinKent — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 08:44:58 GMT

@jab1 wrote:

How long is reasonable before i might get access to Authenticated access ?

You won't - PN no longer offer an email service to new customers.

My only issue with this is that the whole of the 84.92.0.0/16 range is on the Spamhaus block list with the following reason.

https://check.spamhaus.org/results?query=84.92.0.0

Outbound Email policy of Plusnet Plc for this IP range

It is the policy of Plusnet Plc that unauthenticated email sent from this IP address should be sent out only via the designated outbound mail server allocated to Plusnet Plc customers. To find the hostname of the correct mail server to use, customers should consult the original signup documentation or contact Plusnet Plc Technical Support.

Im happy to play ball....
but i cant play ball if plusnet wont give me the ball.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

jab1 — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 08:49:59 GMT

As you are using SMP2GO for mail handling, you should be using their servers. You will find that all PN ranges have the same 'issue' - it is a standard practice used by all ISPs to prevent abuse.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

MisterW — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 08:51:44 GMT

@ColinKent but as said above, you can almost certainly use the Plusnet SMTP server without authentication from any Plusnet IP, whether or not your account has incoming email facilities.

smtp server is relay.plus.net, port 587 , using STARTTLS encryption

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

Townman — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 09:27:09 GMT

Just to be clear, your mail server must send using smart relay using a recognised MX relay server.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

corringham — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:50:30 GMT

@jab1 wrote:

You will find that all PN ranges have the same 'issue' - it is a standard practice used by all ISPs to prevent abuse.

All dynamic ranges - you can use a Plusnet static IP to host an outgoing mail server and I did that for years when I was with Plusnet.

At the worst, with a static IP you may have to ask spamhaus to whitelist the address, which is possible with a static IP but not a dynamic IP which has the ISP block rule set.

Edit: Also, if your server has MX records, then you do not need to send mail via a smart relay - it can send directly to the recipient.

Re: Outgoing SMTP for own server/domain

jab1 — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:50:02 GMT

Thanks for the correction, @corringham .