Cannot log into relay.force9.net today

[#1]

This is always a very worrying issue as when this happened last year it took weeks to resolve, as the cause was that Plusnet had decided to change our account to one that could no longer send email using any outgoing server.

So today I cannot send any emails to the outgoing server "relay.force9.net" as this will not allow me to log in. Is this due to a temporary technical issue at Plusnet or has my account been arbitrarily changed again so that I can't send email?

I check the service status and there is nothing to say that there is any temporary technical issue going on.

Yours, worried at what might lie ahead.

Nick

[#2]

Hello @totterdell,

Please accept my apologies for the issue in being unable to send mail.

Are you attempting to send emails from the address on your email account? I have tested the line and found that your router is out of sync with the exchange. A fault has been raised to our suppliers for further investigation and they have provided us an estimated response time of 01/05/19 anytime up to midnight. You can monitor the progress of the fault here.

If you are experiencing issues outside of this connection on other networks, please ensure your settings are as follows for the outgoing mail server.

Username: [mailbox]@[username].force9.co.uk

SMTP Outgoing mail server: relay.force9.net  
SMTP Outgoing mail server port: 587

SSL: Off

Thank you.

[#3]

Hi Jubby,

Thanks for looking at this for us.

It isn't the ADSL connection that is our problem. That doesn't and cannot work as we are 17kms from the local BT exchange. Our internet is on a microwave link hosted by Pine Media - all pretty quick (20M each way). They don't provide any email hosting - just connection - so we have retained our domain hosting and email with Plusnet.

It is the relay.force9.net login that is our problem. We simply cannot log into the outgoing server. Incoming server and webmail both work OK. This is the same as what happened when our account was forcibly changed last year.

There is a current status report that mobile email isn't working - perhaps this is the same problem as that is basically what our configuration is.

Cheers

Nick

[#4]

Still unable to log into the outgoing server relay.force9.net.

Something has been changed at Plusnet today which has broken our email.

Please find out what it is and change it back. I have a number of fairly urgent emails to send and I simply cannot do it.

Thanks, Nick

[#5]

Seems to work ok when I send from the Gmail app on my phone but not when I send using Outlook on my computer via the Pine Media link.

No problem logging into the incoming server, just the outgoing server. Has there been a security change on the outgoing server today? Can I configure to use a different plusnet outgoing mail server using SMTP? If so what are the port number and server name?

[#6]

No problem @totterdell and thank you for confirming.

I have checked the task that was raised to correct the issue previously however, it doesn't appear to be related to the issue that you are experiencing now. As the outgoing mail seems to work on your Gmail app, you could try the Plusnet mail servers and I have provided them below.

SMTP Outgoing mail server: relay.plus.net
SMTP Outgoing mail server port: 587

SSL: OFF

Have you noticed if Outlook has updated recently? With certain mail client's I have known updates to make unwanted changes to settings after updating. Feel free to attach a screenshot of each tab in your outgoing mail server settings removing the email addresses or domains so we can ensure they are correct for you. Information with regards to the latest mail platform changes can be found here.

Thanks again.

[#7]

Hi Jubby,

Gmail on my Android isn't sending now either. Says authentication is wrong, but I haven't changed anything. Not much point in sending screen shots when nothing this end is different but I can if you need them.

Something must have changed at the Plusnet end today. Neither Outlook 2010 via Pine Media nor Gmail via EE are able to send emails using the relay.force9.net outgoing SMTP server now. All worked fine yesterday so I shouldn't have to change anything.

I dreaded this happening again - and now it has. Some completely untraceable change has been made to the Plusnet (Force9) servers today and now my email is completely stuffed.

I am now sending using a hotmail account instead, which is not exactly wonderful but at least I can communicate.

Is there not some change-control process at Plusnet where the unintended consequences of changes can be tracked down and fixed? Please check that our account has not been reallocated (again) to one that cannot use the outgoing servers.

We have had this account since email was invented. Unfortunately we have lived for over four years in a location where ADSL just doesn't work.

Please try to find the source of the problem.

Many thanks, Nick

[#8]

Is there any chance that Outlook has updated and changed the account settings to SSL/TLS?

SMTP should be on port 587. If it is using port 25 there is some possibility that your ISP has blocked access to port 25 outside of their network. It is a common security measure.

You can test smtp connectivity manually - see https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.hostinger.com/tutorials/how-to-check-if-smtp-port-587-is-not-bloc...

[#9]

Hi Townman

Thanks for your suggestion.

I'm afraid that it is obvious that the problem is at the Plusnet end. But as before, Plusnet can only push the blame back to me.

My Gmail android phone demands that I enter correct Outgoing server settings - I haven't changed them. My Outlook on Windows 10 just keeps asking me to enter my username and password - I haven't changed them either. These are two completely independent channels at my end - neither work since yesterday morning - my logical mind points me to the common factor - and it isn't in my house or even in my two independent internet connections.

When this happened before, I did have an SMS message from Plusnet saying that our account would be changed because our ADSL was not being used. After several weeks and a paper letter of complaint, we had our account reinstated with an apology plus a promise that this would not happen again. Well it appears that yesterday it did happen again and no warning this time.

Our telephone, domain hosting and email are all with Plusnet. I have been a loyal customer for decades. This is poor customer service.

Nick

[#10]

A sanity check - you report that you can access your mailbox using web mail - did you try SENDING an email using webmail?

Reading email via webmail is only using the IMAP server; you must send an email to force webmail to access the relay server.

Something is not quite right here. Apparent password problems can arise from a multitude of conditions none of them being a password issue ... which is why I recommend the telnet test. If it succeeds then that would eliminate any issues with the email account / credentials.

Edit: having reread the whole thread I think it would be useful to confirm that you can log into the user portal.

[#11]

While I appreciate previously there were problems due to actions taken on the account, I can't see anything to suggest that the same has happened this time.

The account has an active mailbox component and an active portal login component.

At this point, I agree with @Townman, if you could carry out the telnet test he has suggested and let us know what it returns, we'll continue from there.

Thanks.

[#12]

Hi HarryB and Townman,

Thanks guys,

Sending with the Plusnet webmail system is OK. Sending with any of our clients (iphone on Vodaphone, android Gmail on EE, Windows 10 Outlook via Pine Media, all fail since Sunday.

I have installed the Telnet Client on the relevant Windows 10 computer - which wasn't a quick process.

The command line "C:\Users\Admin>telnet relay.force9.net 25"

comes back with...

"220 avasout02 smtp relay.force9.net"

after that it doesn't return to the command prompt - presumable doing some Telnet thing that I don't need to understand.

I think that means that port 25 is open.

Changing 25 to 587 comes back with "220 avasout02 smtp relay.force9.net" too.

Hopefully, this has been referred to the Plusnet email team now and they will be able to track down whatever it was that they changed on Monday morning. I'm very surprised that this hasn't affected thousands of Plusnet users. Perhaps we have a unique configuration.

There are some positives to living in the countryside! Lots of baby lambs around at the moment.

Cheers Nick

[#13]

Thanks for trying that.

I've been looking in to this a bit further with a colleague, and it looks like the problem may be due to the reputation of your IP Address.

While I'd like to help with this, I'm afraid this is something you will have to discuss further with Pine Media.

[#14]

Hi Nick,

Thank you - this proves there’s a connection taking place to the server, but not a logon. Yes if this were a wide spread issue the forums would be full of similar complaints.

Can you please try to complete the logon process?

Can you please check the email connection settings and ensure that the email clients have not been updated and forced SSL/TLS. Some email client providers are unhelpfully quietly switching on SSL ... but again if that were the case we would be seeing lots of complaints here.

[#15]

@HarryB

Is the same being claimed in respect of the EE mobile connection as well?