topic Help please! in Email

Help please!

pvmb — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:40:50 GMT

I wonder if anyone here can help me out? I'm trying to trace a particular forum post, made within the last few weeks, on the subjent of Plusnet/Greenby email. Hence the problem!

I don't recall the name of the poster or the thread topic, but it was about the current configuration of the Plusnet and Greenby email servers and their likely future configuration. It contained a diagram.

I have tried using the forum Search facility but, as there are now so very many posts and threads around this topic I have not succeeded.

Can anyone please identify this post for me?

TIA

Re: Help please!

Townman — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:54:46 GMT

Was the diagram provided by a staff member of one of the SUs? If it was not, then one needs to be careful of its varsity. What is it that you are trying to understand? Configuration is different for *.plus.com and hosted domain users.

Re: Help please!

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:55:09 GMT

@pvmb

This ?

https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Hotmail-rejecting-mail-from-PN-Diagnostic-Code-smtp-550-5-7-1/m-p/2039397#M58870

Re: Help please!

Townman — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:06:14 GMT

@Dan_the_Van

Thank you.

@pvmb

As I suspected unless something has changed in recent weeks and I have missed it, the diagram is wrong. As things stand, I believe that the following is correct...

Inbound email is collected by
- Greenby for *.plus.com addressed email
- Plusnet for hosted-domain.co.uk addressed email
IMAP / POP3 is accessed by the Greenby proxy and email is hosted by
- Greenby for migrated mail accounts
- Plusnet for non-migrated accounts
SMTP (relay.plus.net) remains entirely with Plusnet for both migrated and non-migrated accounts

The latter can be problematic for migrated users where...

They change the email account password in the Greenby portal
They leave Plusnet

In both of the above scenarios, the working advice is to change the SMTP server configuration to use Greenby's SMTP server direct.

There is an element of correctness in the diagram in the context of WEBMAIL...

"Plusnet's" webmail client behaves as described above
Greenby's (unbranded) webmail client does behave as the diagram indicates - it does NOT use the IMAP / SMTP proxy servers, but goes direct to Greenby's naked servers

Re: Help please!

pvmb — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:06:31 GMT

@Dan_the_Van wrote:

@pvmb

This ?

https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Hotmail-rejecting-mail-from-PN-Diagnostic-Code-smtp-550-5-7-1/m-p/2039397#M58870

Yes thanks, Dan_the_Van, that is exactly it. 😄

Though now, the subsequent post by Townman, seems to mean more 'homework' is called for.

Re: Help please!

mavison — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:42:37 GMT

The diagram is also potentially confusing in that it refers to 'all Plusnet mail users' but I believe it does not apply to the Plusnet mail users with Force9 addresses. Perhaps it should clearly state it only refers to 'all Plusnet mail users with <account>.plus.com addresses'?

Please do not use the generic term 'Plusnet mail users' when not all brands, as it can be very confusing for some Plusnet brand users.

Re: Help please!

Townman — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:50:10 GMT

@mavison

A very perinate point. When I see the phrase "Plusnet Mail Users" I read it as "*.plus.com" mail users. The rest have distinctly different names which are (to name nut a few...

Force9 / F9
Free-onine
MAAF
Totalise / IC24 / Soctland24 ... and the rest

Event then your caveat does not entirely clarify as there are substiles where a hosted domain name is involved. 95% of folks only look at the client side connectivity (IMAP / POP3 / SMTP) totally forgetting the inbound MX collection service which is different for acceptance of inbound mail for hosted domain email addresses.

Re: Help please!

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:59:10 GMT

Maybe the link I posted should be considered in the context of the thread it came from, not as a general discussion point about other plusnet email brands?

Edit: just a general reply, not criticism of anyone posting.

Re: Help please!

mavison — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:54 GMT

@Townman

I have a Plusnet account, and Plusnet has provided me with email for 15? years, so I felt I was a Plusnet email user ... but just happened to have a Force9 address. Now (unfortunately) I am a Greenby email user, still with an F9 address.

@Dan_the_Van

I agree that context should be considered, but the diargram was post 137 in the original thread, which now has 211 posts. I defy anyone to discern the context easily! It is so easy for ambiguous posts to be taken out of context, which can lead to more problems.

Re: Help please!

pvmb — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:50:46 GMT

@mavison wrote:

Please do not use the generic term 'Plusnet mail users' when not all brands, as it can be very confusing for some Plusnet brand users.

True, but I can only relate my own experience as a Plusnet email user with a Plusnet user account. Now with Greenby.