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A different email problem

JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

A different email problem

Morning

For some reason Plusnet's email server is refusing to accept any of my emails with 'large' attachments (about a meg).  The emails start to send, but when it reaches a certain point the transfer just stops.
I first noticed this a couple of days ago and assumed it was linked to the recent emails issues.  However I note that these have now been fixed and I am still having the problem.
The issue is the same whether I use my Windows or Linux box, so it can't be a software issue at my end.
Has anyone any ideas?

James
29 REPLIES 29
dave
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 12,257
Thanks: 306
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

Hi,
I've just tried sending a couple of test mails with attachments and they both went fine. Do any mails get through at all? Do you get any error messages indicating why it's failed?
Also, have you run a speedtest, e.g. www.mybroadbandspeed.co.uk in particular I'm looking for the result of the upload speed rather than the download to see if that's unusually low? Do other uploads work OK, e.g. FTP (you can upload to ftp.plus.net as a test)? DO you have anything in the router settings that could be causing this? Worth trying on a different modem/router as a test.
Dave Tomlinson
Enterprise Architect - Network & OSS
Plusnet Technology
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem

Thanks for the reply.
Everything else is working fine, and I don't have any problems sending e.g. via gmail.  My upload speed is 48KB/s according to the speedtest.
Text emails send fine, it's just large ones with attachments that don't send.  Thunderbird times out with a generic SMTP relay not responding error.
The funny thing is that the emails always stops in the same place.  Unfortunately I don't have another router to test with, however there is nothing in the router config that is out of the ordinary.
Is there another SMTP server except relay.plus.net that I could test with?

James
dave
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 12,257
Thanks: 306
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

You could try relay1.plus.net I think it still goes via the same relay servers but it was set up differently I think for Netscape Communicator way back in the day.
Dave Tomlinson
Enterprise Architect - Network & OSS
Plusnet Technology
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem


Unfortunately relay1 doesn't work either.
This problem is confusing me, given that I'm the only person with the issue it points towards a problem with my config but I have no idea what it could be.
I'll try and find a free relay server on the net that uses port 25 (unlike gmail) just to check if this works.

James
dave
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 12,257
Thanks: 306
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

Could be a very strange MTU or RWIN problem, it's worth running this
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks
I've seen one other similar problem today where the customer was unable to send certain attachments over a certain size (it was either .docs worked and jpg/bmp files didn't or the other way around). One of the guys in the CSC dial tested it as the customer but it worked OK for us. In this case we suspected either the router or MTU/RWIN as they were about the only things we hadn't already ruled out.
Dave Tomlinson
Enterprise Architect - Network & OSS
Plusnet Technology
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem


Ok, I have tried a third party server with exactly the same problem, so it's clearly not a Plusnet issue.
I should point out that I only noticed the problem a couple of days ago, it may well have been around for longer.  In fact I did change my router a couple of months ago.
I note that the MTU is set in the router config to 1458.  I have tried changing this to 1500 with no improvement.  Should this be a different value?

James
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

MTU=1458 is one of the "standard" settings - quotation marks because there are as many standards as different settings.
There are a number of transmission control parameters, mirrored on router and computer, and I wouldn't recommend changing one in isolation.  It is best to make the router and computer settings match, not doing so can slow down transmissions (leading to time-outs?).  In some cases certain websites fail to load if MTU is too large, I suppose uploads failing to complete could be thought of as the reverse of that problem.
Have you done a DSLreports tweaktest as suggested by PN's dave?  If you can post the URL that gives (small characters near the bottom of the results page) that will provide more information for comment.  To get a more complete view of transmission characteristics making your connection pingable (router setting) during the test could be helpful for diagnostics.
David
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem


Ok I have run the tweaktest:
http://www.dslreports.com/tweakr/block:15d2ffc?service=dsl&speed=3000&os=winXP&via=normal
I'm using a Netgear DG834 v3 by the way.
I'll see if I can borrow another router off a friend to see if that makes any difference.

James
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

Well, I've never seen tweaktest graphs (shown by clicking More Detail…) like yours before!  Shocked The first 12 seconds are spent with round-trip times (RTTs) varying between 250 and 380ms, then "normality" returns with RTTs for the final 6 seconds around 120 to 130ms (apart from a twitch to 180ms which is not unusual).
The net result from this is that the level of outstanding data is exceptionally low, basically your connection is ambling rather than cantering (I assume 3000kbps is around your normal profile speed).  If uploads behaved similarly one could imagine time-outs might occur with long transfer times.
So what does it mean?  Well … pass.  I think eliminating router troubles would be a good first step though.  If still present after that then a line fault could be indicated which would need a fault ticket to be raised.  Do you have tests from the master socket with a trio of recent BT speedtester results to support that?
Perhaps PN would care to comment.
David
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem


Well I have borrowed a Netgear DG834 v2 and emails work fine, notwithstanding that the MTU is also set to 1458!
I'm just finishing downloading some files, but once that is done I'll run a tweaktest on this router.  I'll also try reducing the MTU on my other router to see if this helps.
With regard to the connection speed, in my experience this is good and in line with the sync speeds.  E.g. I can often max out my expected download rate when using usenet.
I do also have another running issue with my connection in that pre Christmas on a good day the router would sync at 5000 during the day and high 4000s at night.  Over the past few months the sync speed has been steadily decreasing and I'm now lucky to get 4100 during the day, and in fact at the moment the router is synced 2880 which is below the fault threshold on my line.
I have reported faults before to Plusnet and got no where, I expect mainly due to the fact that much of the time the router syncs above the fault threshold (not withstanding the very significant decrease in sync rates since Christmas.)  I have tried the master socket, different router etc with no improvement.
Once I have this email issue sorted I'll try reporting another fault to Plusnet and push harder this time.
Cheers for all your help by the way

James

JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem

spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

I assume the pair of tweak result links are just from two tests of the same configuration (different router).  Results from both are similar, with what I regard as exceptionally long round trip times (RTTs) - varying between 400 and 600ms.  The major difference from the test with the original router is that RTTs remain high throughout, previously "normal values" (120-130ms) returned 12 seconds into the test and stayed that way for the final 6 seconds.  Normal values with little variation were also given from the 10-sample ping test, not included with the ones for the new router.
To me this suggests there is a fault somewhere on your line - "line" means between the motherboard on your computer all the way to the DSLAM at the exchange.  Between the motherboard and the BT master socket is obviously your responsibility, beyond that is BT.  Since the modem sync speed is abnormally low based on long term experience on your line, and (I assume) the replacement router behaved the same, that suggests the problem is most like from the DSL port of the modem to the exchange.
The first part of that is the phone cable and splitter - have you tried different ones?  You said that using the master socket (did that include the test socket to eliminate internal wiring completely?) made no difference.
Assuming you can completely eliminate an internal cause, I think reporting a fault and persisting with the trials is the way forward.  My gut feeling is that there is a source of noise on your line (hence the lower sync speeds) - which might be a dodgy joint, faulty line card, …, whatever else.  Finding that and getting it fixed is obviously what is needed - but this could be a tedious task.
Are there any indications of voice problems on your line, e.g. occasional bursts of noise - or perhaps more significantly occasional bursts of *less* noise?  Does the quiet line test 17070 option 2 show noise?  Is this any different when it rains - particularly after a downpour?  If there are indications of a voice fault getting that fixed by BT Openreach is likely to work wonders for the broadband connection.  If this is intermittent recording a sample (e.g. on an MP3 player) may be necessary to play back to an engineer during a visit.  Note: one can't have a voice fault open alongside a broadband fault and mentioning broadband problems to Openreach is not recommended.
I'm conscious that I've rambled on, raised a number of questions, not really told you anything you didn't already know.  However between BT (voice) and PN (broadband) with persistence hopefully you'll get it sorted.
You started the thread with problems sending emails with large attachments.  I suspect that is simply a by-product of the other problems.  That it worked with the replacement router might just be coincidence.
David
JEB
Grafter
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: A different email problem

For clarity I should point out that both of the last tweaktests were with the v2 router.
Anyway I have got the v3 router working  Smiley
I first tried changing the MTU to 1400, which didn't work, but then noticed an option in the router config to open or close instant messaging ports.  'Closed' was selected by default, but when I changed this to 'open' the emails worked fine.
On the line fault front I have already tried the test socket, different router, filters etc with no improvement when I last reported a fault.
I don't hear any noise on the line at all.
The router is currently synced at 3360, which is (just) above the fault threshold.  Have you got any suggestions about the best way to report a fault?  What I suspect has happened in the past when I have reported a fault is is that my line was over the fault threshold when tested so BT / Plusnet thought everything was fine.
I really do appreciate all your help, particularly given that this turned out not to be a Plusnet email issue at all!

James
dave
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 12,257
Thanks: 306
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: A different email problem

Hi,
To report a broadband fault you can do that via the broadband fault checker under connection settings on the portal. The problem is that it sounds like the kind of fault that's going to be very hard to progress, it's like it's an authentication or no sync fault where the fault is "obvious" so to speak. We can run remote line tests and see what comes up. Which I think is the best thing to do, report it as a fault and see what the woosh test comes back with and then take it from there.
Dave Tomlinson
Enterprise Architect - Network & OSS
Plusnet Technology