koitsu
Premium
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA
2 edits | said by ross  :WTF is ORDB? I had a reference and link to that in the rejection message I got from the mail servers I have been sending to (non-AT&T). Post said rejection message, with timestamps! This is solid proof that AT&T mail server administrators are not keeping up on which RBLs are mismanaged or even offline, not to mention are relying on public RBLs!
Regarding what ORDB is: it's a now-defunct blacklisting (RBL/DNSBL) service for mail servers. Read.
Every time a connection is made to an SMTP server using an RBL, a DNS lookup of the IP of the SMTP client is performed against a specific DNS server to see if it's considered "bad". "Bad" means possibly a compromised machine, an open relay, has been sending viruses, whatever -- it's up to the operators of the RBL to define what's bad and what isn't.
For example, if an SMTP client of 5.6.7.8 connected to your mail server and you were using an RBL, you'd try to do a DNS lookup of "8.7.6.5.dnsbl.server.com.".
If that lookup is successful (usually returning a PTR record like 127.0.0.2 to say "yes, that client connecting has been known to send spam/has trojans/whatever"), the mail server automatically rejects any further conversation with the client. Meaning: your mail gets *rejected*. You'll get what appears to be a bounceback, usually with a 5xx SMTP response.
ORDB has been offline since December 2006. However, despite their servers not answering RBL queries, the argument is that the "amount of network traffic still going there was substantial".
So instead of removing their public DNS record for ORDB DNS lookups (relays.ordb.org), they decided to *re-enable the RBL service* and start returning "yes, that IP is bad" for *every single IP looked up*.
I'm sure you can imagine what a horrible, *HORRIBLE* idea this was -- and now you're seeing the results of it.
If you're using your ISP's mail servers and seeing said rejection behaviour, call them IMMEDIATELY and report this problem. Do not take "Sir it sounds like your Outlook client may be incorrectly configured" Tier 1 rebuttals -- ask to speak to Tier 2 or Tier 3 and skip the garbage. This indicates a problem with their mail servers, and not you.
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Making life hard for others since 1977.
I speak for myself and not my employer/affiliates of my employer. |
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