Looping Mail

[#1]

I tried changing my mail delivery from POP3 to SMTP tonight and I've got issues similar to those at http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,10589.0.html
I've got several hosted domains in addition to "user.plus.com " and I set all those deliver mail via SMTP to my static IP address and also configured SMTP in Manage My Mail to deliver to my static IP address. After receiving nothing for some time I checked that TCP Port 25 was forwarding correctly and attempted to send a test message from an external account. At that point, I got similar results to the linked case with the message seeming to bounce around both Postini and PN's servers.
I decided to give up for tonight and reset my domains back to POP3 but left Manage My Mail set for SMTP. I expected mail sent to my domains to be downloadable via POP3 and those sent to me@user.plus.com to still bounce. Two test messages, one to a domain and one to me@user.plus.com, both ended up being delivered via POP3.
Any ideas?
TIA,
Geoff

[#2]

Put your domains back to SMTP and give me a shout if things are still awry in 24 hours or so.

[#3]

Thanks Bob,
I did that for three of my five domains early this morning but left the other two on POP3 (I can't afford to lose mail from those). Sending a test message from my GMX webmail account to my email address in one of the domains configured for SMTP now results in Postini bouncing the message with the following message:

---

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at mail.gmx.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
<me@mydomain>:
64.18.4.10_does_not_like_recipient./Remote_host_said:_554_No_relaying_allowed_-_psmtp/Giving_up_on_64.18.4.10./

---

AFAICT, 64.18.4.10 is Postini, hence my belief that Postini are bouncing my test messages. I've got spam protection and edge protection switched on on all domains, so I'm not surprised that mail is routing via Postini - but I am surprised that they seem to be blocking it all. At least mail no longer seems to be ricocheting around within Postini and PN but I do wonder whether that's a step backwards!
Also, even though I've got mail set for SMTP in Manage My Mail, delivery to me@user.plus.com still happens via POP3.
I'm perplexed, but I'll give it until tomorrow.
Geoff

[#4]

Have you:
1. Done a DNS lookup to check the MX entries are correct?
2. Done a SMTP test to check you email server? Can use http://www.mxtoolbox.com/diagnostic.aspx
SMTP delivery completely bypass the Postini servers.

[#5]

Thanks, 'itsme'
I've checked the SMTP server at my static IP using the tool you suggested, and it shows everything is as I'd expect it to be - i.e. receiving incoming mail but refusing to relay to external addresses. Two of the domains I switched to SMTP this morning give the first preference MX pointing to my static IP but the third still points to Postini (64.18.4.10)
Mail addressed to one of the correctly configured domains has started to trickle through, so I guess that's just having to wait for the TTL to be exceeded wherever the MX for my domains are cached.
Thanks again,
Geoff

[#6]

Normally, unless thing have changed the MX records should be in order, your static IP, autoturn and mxlast. As far as I know the postini server should not be there. I just checked myaccount.plus.com and it's as I stated.
Are you aware of the finger commend?

[#7]

Quote from: itsme

Are you aware of the finger commend?

If you mean finger postmaster@autoturn.plus.net.uk to alert PN's SMTP server that you're ready to accept mail, yes. I've tried issuing it every few hours to see if that does anything. Half an hour ago I got the first result - 17  messages queued, but I guess they were all to invalid addresses since none got to the mailboxes on my system!
Thanks again,
Geoff
Edited to add: Although the actual command to request PN's server to start sending seems to be finger postmaster@autoturn.plus.net.uk, the instructions in the mail delivery config screen instruct you to use finger postmaster@autoturn.plus.net (i.e. without the ".uk" TLD). From trying both, I suspect the instructions are wrong since leaving out ".uk" doesn't seem to have the desired effect!