SBS 2000 Exchange, e-mails stay queued for a certain domain

Hello everyone,
I hope I posted in the right newsgroup. I have an odd problem I can't
figure out how to fix with a server running SBS 2000, specifically
with the SMTP service. Since a couple of day ago, there seems to be an
issue with sending emails to a specific domain (a week ago sending e-
mails to that domain worked fine). The problem is that the e-mails
stay in the SMTP queue with "Queued" status, there's no failed
delivery notification for the e-mails and I can't find any errors or
reasons why the mail isn't being sent in any log files. As far as
sending mail to other domains/addresses go, everything seems to be
working fine.

I already deleted the e-mails from the queue and asked the senders to
resend them and the results are the same. The mail gets delivered
locally, but doesn't go out to the other recipients, and it happens
just for this one domain.
The message tracking log for the e-mails in question are awalys the
same:
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Submitted from Store
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Advance Queuing
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Started Message Submission to Advance Queue
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Categorizer
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Delivered Locally to
outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Delivered Locally to Store
to outgoingmail@ourdomain.si

We have journaling turned on for all outgoing mail, that's why it gets
delivered to that e-mail (don't mind the fake domain). But it never
gets delivered outside to it's final recipient.

I have checked the SMTP log files (found in %systenroot%
\system32\logfiles\SMTPSVC1\) and there is no logged connection being
made to the responsible MX server for the domain in question.

The DNS resolving seems to be working fine, I can get the MX record
with nslookup and I can get the IP of the MX record. The responsible
SMTP server is accepting connections (I connected to it via telnet to
port 25 from the SBS server and tried it out). I have also tried
sending a test e-mail to the recipient domain from a Google Mail
account and from my home e-mail server and in both cases the e-mail
was delivered correctly.

Running smtpdiag.exe from the SBS server gives different results. Time
to time the test passes, but sometimes smtpdiag reports it can't
connect to the responsible MX server. The odd thing is that at those
times (when it fails) I can still successfully establish a telnet
connection to the MX server (and get responses back from it).

EventLog shows no errors either.

Anybody have any other ideas what to try?

Thanks for your answers in advance,
Amadej.

Duncan
Tue Jan 29 07:47:32 CST 2008

In article <309a3135-b8be-410a-9508-9c736cefc536
@v29g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, AmadejB@gmail.com says...
> Hello everyone,
> I hope I posted in the right newsgroup. I have an odd problem I can't
> figure out how to fix with a server running SBS 2000, specifically
> with the SMTP service. Since a couple of day ago, there seems to be an
> issue with sending emails to a specific domain (a week ago sending e-
> mails to that domain worked fine). The problem is that the e-mails
> stay in the SMTP queue with "Queued" status, there's no failed
> delivery notification for the e-mails and I can't find any errors or
> reasons why the mail isn't being sent in any log files. As far as
> sending mail to other domains/addresses go, everything seems to be
> working fine.
>
> I already deleted the e-mails from the queue and asked the senders to
> resend them and the results are the same. The mail gets delivered
> locally, but doesn't go out to the other recipients, and it happens
> just for this one domain.
> The message tracking log for the e-mails in question are awalys the
> same:
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Submitted from Store
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Advance Queuing
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Started Message Submission to Advance Queue
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Categorizer
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Delivered Locally to
> outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Delivered Locally to Store
> to outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
>
> We have journaling turned on for all outgoing mail, that's why it gets
> delivered to that e-mail (don't mind the fake domain). But it never
> gets delivered outside to it's final recipient.
>
> I have checked the SMTP log files (found in %systenroot%
> \system32\logfiles\SMTPSVC1\) and there is no logged connection being
> made to the responsible MX server for the domain in question.
>
> The DNS resolving seems to be working fine, I can get the MX record
> with nslookup and I can get the IP of the MX record. The responsible
> SMTP server is accepting connections (I connected to it via telnet to
> port 25 from the SBS server and tried it out). I have also tried
> sending a test e-mail to the recipient domain from a Google Mail
> account and from my home e-mail server and in both cases the e-mail
> was delivered correctly.
>
> Running smtpdiag.exe from the SBS server gives different results. Time
> to time the test passes, but sometimes smtpdiag reports it can't
> connect to the responsible MX server. The odd thing is that at those
> times (when it fails) I can still successfully establish a telnet
> connection to the MX server (and get responses back from it).
>
> EventLog shows no errors either.
>
> Anybody have any other ideas what to try?
>
> Thanks for your answers in advance,
> Amadej.

You should not be sending email via your domain, you should be
forwarding (relaying) your email to your ISP's mail server (fowarding to
a smart host). They will be Authoritive (and I doubt your domain is).

In the SMTP connector properties, setup your "Forward all mail through
this connector to the following smart hosts" (I hope it says that in SBS
2000, that's what it says in 2003).

I think your deliveries will go through fine.

--
Duncan

Kevin
Tue Jan 29 08:49:45 CST 2008

I would respond slightly different from Duncan's advice. Since your Exchange
was working before, and it's only a problem with one domain ... I would
leave your current SMTP connector alone (it should indicate "using DBS...")
and add a second SMTP connector.

Configure the 2nd SMTP connector to "Use SmartHost" and under the Address
Space tab, list the domain that the email is getting stuck. If you need more
detial instructions, let me know ...

--
Kevin Weilbacher [SBS MVP]
"The days pass by so quickly now, the nights are seldom long"
*

"SkA" <AmadejB@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:309a3135-b8be-410a-9508-9c736cefc536@v29g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> Hello everyone,
> I hope I posted in the right newsgroup. I have an odd problem I can't
> figure out how to fix with a server running SBS 2000, specifically
> with the SMTP service. Since a couple of day ago, there seems to be an
> issue with sending emails to a specific domain (a week ago sending e-
> mails to that domain worked fine). The problem is that the e-mails
> stay in the SMTP queue with "Queued" status, there's no failed
> delivery notification for the e-mails and I can't find any errors or
> reasons why the mail isn't being sent in any log files. As far as
> sending mail to other domains/addresses go, everything seems to be
> working fine.
>
> I already deleted the e-mails from the queue and asked the senders to
> resend them and the results are the same. The mail gets delivered
> locally, but doesn't go out to the other recipients, and it happens
> just for this one domain.
> The message tracking log for the e-mails in question are awalys the
> same:
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Submitted from Store
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Advance Queuing
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Started Message Submission to Advance Queue
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Categorizer
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Delivered Locally to
> outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Delivered Locally to Store
> to outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
>
> We have journaling turned on for all outgoing mail, that's why it gets
> delivered to that e-mail (don't mind the fake domain). But it never
> gets delivered outside to it's final recipient.
>
> I have checked the SMTP log files (found in %systenroot%
> \system32\logfiles\SMTPSVC1\) and there is no logged connection being
> made to the responsible MX server for the domain in question.
>
> The DNS resolving seems to be working fine, I can get the MX record
> with nslookup and I can get the IP of the MX record. The responsible
> SMTP server is accepting connections (I connected to it via telnet to
> port 25 from the SBS server and tried it out). I have also tried
> sending a test e-mail to the recipient domain from a Google Mail
> account and from my home e-mail server and in both cases the e-mail
> was delivered correctly.
>
> Running smtpdiag.exe from the SBS server gives different results. Time
> to time the test passes, but sometimes smtpdiag reports it can't
> connect to the responsible MX server. The odd thing is that at those
> times (when it fails) I can still successfully establish a telnet
> connection to the MX server (and get responses back from it).
>
> EventLog shows no errors either.
>
> Anybody have any other ideas what to try?
>
> Thanks for your answers in advance,
> Amadej.

Kevin
Tue Jan 29 08:51:56 CST 2008

Here's a link to a blog post of mine for using SmartHost
http://msmvps.com/blogs/kwsupport/archive/2005/10/08/69816.aspx

The only difference for you is that I would agian create a new (2nd) SMTP
connector, and configure it for SmartHost, and in the Address Space list the
domain that gets stuck (e.g. yahoo.com)

By doing this, then Exchange will know to use this 2nd smtp connector to
deliver email to yahoo, but to use your default smtp connector for all other
emails.

--
Kevin Weilbacher [SBS MVP]
"The days pass by so quickly now, the nights are seldom long"
*

"SkA" <AmadejB@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:309a3135-b8be-410a-9508-9c736cefc536@v29g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> Hello everyone,
> I hope I posted in the right newsgroup. I have an odd problem I can't
> figure out how to fix with a server running SBS 2000, specifically
> with the SMTP service. Since a couple of day ago, there seems to be an
> issue with sending emails to a specific domain (a week ago sending e-
> mails to that domain worked fine). The problem is that the e-mails
> stay in the SMTP queue with "Queued" status, there's no failed
> delivery notification for the e-mails and I can't find any errors or
> reasons why the mail isn't being sent in any log files. As far as
> sending mail to other domains/addresses go, everything seems to be
> working fine.
>
> I already deleted the e-mails from the queue and asked the senders to
> resend them and the results are the same. The mail gets delivered
> locally, but doesn't go out to the other recipients, and it happens
> just for this one domain.
> The message tracking log for the e-mails in question are awalys the
> same:
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Submitted from Store
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Advance Queuing
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Started Message Submission to Advance Queue
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Submitted to Categorizer
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP: Message Delivered Locally to
> outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
> 28.1.2008 21:45 SMTP Store Driver: Message Delivered Locally to Store
> to outgoingmail@ourdomain.si
>
> We have journaling turned on for all outgoing mail, that's why it gets
> delivered to that e-mail (don't mind the fake domain). But it never
> gets delivered outside to it's final recipient.
>
> I have checked the SMTP log files (found in %systenroot%
> \system32\logfiles\SMTPSVC1\) and there is no logged connection being
> made to the responsible MX server for the domain in question.
>
> The DNS resolving seems to be working fine, I can get the MX record
> with nslookup and I can get the IP of the MX record. The responsible
> SMTP server is accepting connections (I connected to it via telnet to
> port 25 from the SBS server and tried it out). I have also tried
> sending a test e-mail to the recipient domain from a Google Mail
> account and from my home e-mail server and in both cases the e-mail
> was delivered correctly.
>
> Running smtpdiag.exe from the SBS server gives different results. Time
> to time the test passes, but sometimes smtpdiag reports it can't
> connect to the responsible MX server. The odd thing is that at those
> times (when it fails) I can still successfully establish a telnet
> connection to the MX server (and get responses back from it).
>
> EventLog shows no errors either.
>
> Anybody have any other ideas what to try?
>
> Thanks for your answers in advance,
> Amadej.

SkA
Tue Jan 29 11:08:37 CST 2008

Thank you both for your advice (and the blog link), I'll haven't
thought about the problem of sending mail as a non authoritive server.
Perhaps that's what's blocking the delivery. I'll contact our ISP and
see if they can allow their SMTP server to relay mail for us and
forward mail for this recipient's domain (I'm somewhat found of the
idea to have full overview of outgoing mail "transactions") to them,
since I think that will be the simplest solution. I can always just
start forwarding everything, If I notice any more problems.

The only odd thing I see here is we're getting 0 failed delivery
reports from our Exchange. :)

SkA
Tue Jan 29 11:27:37 CST 2008

Silly me, of course they are permitting relaying from our addresses.

I've set up forwarding and the mail goes out now, so hopefuly it's
getting delivered as it should. I'll have to wait till morning to get
a confirmation but seems like this did the trick.

Thank you both, as I've said. :)