Weird Domain Problem with Exchange 2003 Server

[refrigerationdude168]

Hello, I'm new to the forums, and found this site while trying to solve one of the weirdest problems I've ever come across so far in the field. I recently set up an Exchange 2003 server, and it's running fairly well, with the exception of one major issue.....email from certain domains, (4 discovered so far, in about a months time) will not get through. It either bounces back to the sender, or floats in cyberspace endlessly. One of the domains in question gets an almost instant bounceback, while another will retry for 5 days before failing the message undeliverable. Most mail has no trouble reaching the exchange server. The problem domains have tried sending at diffrent times of the day as well as diffrent days to make sure it wasn't just a fluke of the exchange server being unreachable. I've checked and rechecked DNS settings, MX record, etc, but maybe I'm missing something? A DNS report on the domain the exchange server is using shows no problems w/ the MX area or Mail areas with the exception of no SPF record, which shoudln't cause only specific domains to fail to reach the server should it? These domains in question can email other mail servers that also do not have SPF records with no problems. So far the problem domain list consists of people from state.pa.us, usps.gov, bloomu.edu, and redfrognetworks.com The only thing I can figure so far is something about their mail servers is configured diffrently and I'm missing something on exchange settings to allow it to communicate successfully with these mail servers in question. Has anyone ever had issues like this before, where most domains get through ok but a select few do not? Any suggestions on things I can check to get this resolved?

Thank-you in advance for your time, this has been haunting me for over a month now, and the client really would like it resolved asap.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[58sniper]

POst the bounce message.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[refrigerationdude168]

This one has a little more info in it....(again names changed, but were typed correctly in bounce message, so error was not due to typos)

-----Original Message-----
From: doe, jon[mailto:jdoe@bloomu.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:46 AM
To: info@aegroupinc.net
Subject: FW: Returned Mail: Error During Delivery



-----Original Message-----
From: Webshield SMTP V4.5 MR2 Mail Service [mailto:Webshield SMTP V4.5
MR2 Mail Service]
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 6:31 AM
To: doe, jon
Subject: Returned Mail: Error During Delivery

---- Failed Recipients ----

<dbutler@aegroup.org>


Requested action aborted: Network socket error (10060). [SMTP Error Code
442]

---- Contents of the undelivered mail ----

Received: From exchange1.buad.bloomu.edu ([148.137.60.91]) by
exgate.buad.bloomu.edu (WebShield SMTP v4.5 MR2);
id 116559511482; Fri, 8 Dec 2006 11:25:14 -0500
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C71AE5.7048AE87"
Subject: Changes to PA One-Call
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 11:25:12 -0500
Message-ID:
<8678FAE015230F41929273C93A2E3212A179A0@exchange1.buad.bloomu.edu>
X-MS-Has-Attach: yes
X-MS-TNEF-Correlator:
Thread-Topic: Changes to PA One-Call
Thread-Index: AccYf2+PLA1wOiI4TK6/4Kd+fBbd4wAAZypgAAFs9mAAABRZgACXlJRA
From: "doe, jon" <jdoe@bloomu.edu>
To: <dbutler@aegroup.org>

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C71AE5.7048AE87
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


------_=_NextPart_001_01C71AE5.7048AE87
Content-Type: application/pdf;
name="SDOC6648.pdf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Description: SDOC6648.pdf
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="SDOC6648.pdf"

 

[refrigerationdude168]

And here's yet another one...

The original message was received at Fri, 8 Dec 2006 07:07:23 -0800 (PST)
from njcsprsbl7app09.autodesk.com [10.131.17.131]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<tarmbruster@aegroup.org>
(reason: 451 4.4.1 reply: read error from fileserver.aegroup.org.)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
451 4.4.1 reply: read error from fileserver.aegroup.org.
<tarmbruster@aegroup.org>... Deferred: Connection timed out with fileserver.aegroup.org.
Message could not be delivered for 3 days
Message will be deleted from queue

 

[ShackDaddy]

Are you running some other 3rd party application or hardware device to do your mail filtering?

I know that a system with Webshield will sometimes get a message with a large attachment hung up in the deferred directory from a particular domain and that domain will be trouble until things are resolved with that deferred item.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[refrigerationdude168]

No hardware filtering, we are running Computer Associates secure content manager, but these domains were failing before we installed that, and just exchange was running, so I doubt it has anything to do with it. The internet is coming in through an epix dsl line, using their modem and using a basic linksys broadband router. Thats the only hardware that is between the internet and the mail server.

 

[refrigerationdude168]

anyone??? the client needs this fixed, and I have nothing to tell him....is there anything we can do, or should I suggest maybe he abandon exchange?

thx,
jeff

 

[ShackDaddy]

Run DNSREPORT against each sending mail server, as determined by the name listed in the message headers (not by an MX lookup of those domains). You may see some issues with the DNS for those domains that is causing Exchange to drop connections from them. You could post all of the servernames and we could give them a look as well.

I personally don't think it's due to a local misconfig. Are you using IMF or SPF?

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting