Sending email to AOL domains

[schirpich]

I've got a server with DirectAdmin and have been having trouble/issues with sending email to certain domains.

Take the following scenario for consideration...

I am not running DNS Services in Directadmin. Named is off and all DNS configurations are held with Godaddy.

Host Server
User: Admin
main.hostserver.net
IP: 192.168.1.151

DNS...
MX Records
10 mail.hostserver.net
A Records
admin 192.168.1.151
mail 192.168.1.151
www 192.168.1.151

CNAME Records
imap mail.hostserver.net
pop mail.hostserver.net
smtp mail.hostserver.net

TXT Records
mail "v=spf1 a mx ip4:192.168.1.151 -all"

RDNS points to
192.168.1.151 < -- > main.hostserver.net

User Account
User: Bob
www.client-site.com
IP: 192.168.1.68
DNS...
MX Records
10 mail.client-site.com

A Records
* 192.168.1.68
@ 192.168.1.68
mail 192.168.1.151

CNAME Records
ftp @
imap mail
pop mail
smtp mail
www @

TXT Records
mail "v=spf1 a mx ip4:192.168.1.151 -all"

RDNS points to
192.168.1.68 < -- > client-site.com



Now, for the most part email flows in and out just fine to most domains. But I recently found out that no email can be sent to any AOL email addresses. None of the domains are on any Blacklists or anything of that nature. But I can see in the logs that AOL bounces the emails back with a "554 RTR:BB" error.

"AOL works with many ISPs to maintain lists of dynamic and residential IP addresses. Per our E-mail Guidelines, we do not accept mail from these addresses. If you are blocked with RTR:BB and have a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), open a support request to lift an RTR:BB block. If you do not have a FQDN, please have your ISP create one for you and then open a support request."​

Now, I'm pretty sure that exim is sending all email out through mail.hostserver.net

which is where I think the problem is being generated. AOL doesn't like the fact that website1.com email is being sent "from" mail.hostserver.com's IP address because website1.com is DirectAdmin user account. AOL's Postmaster seems to only accept email from the proper mail server.

So at this point I'm not quite sure if this is the proper DNS configuration, or secondly if there is something I should be changing within exim to make it look like email is sending out from the proper IP address.

Everything I've read under the Directadmin forums & documentation pretty much says force exim to send all mail out from one IP. Which makes me think my DNS is configured incorrectly.

On top of all of this, AOL doesn't even lift the block sometimes for weeks after the proper settings are in place. Which makes it even more difficult for someone like me that is just kinda feeling my way around to get this right because I feel like I have to set it, wait a couple weeks and see if it changes.

Can anybody lend some advice or direction here? Let me know if there's any other information missing/required to help solve this issue.

 

[nobaloney]

I, for one, don't take the time to help people who hide domain names and IP#s when looking for help with email delivery problems. Because it's impossible for me to do lookups and tests.

Perhaps someone else will help you.

But I strongly suggest you post helpful information.

My opinion only.

Jeff

 

[schirpich]

Updated to reflect true IP's. I wasn't trying to be shady, I just don't like to post addresses if I don't necessarily have to. But you raise a valid point.

 

[nobaloney]

Does your helo match your DNS and your rDNS?

Did you do what AOL has asked you to do?

AOL works with many ISPs to maintain lists of dynamic and residential IP addresses. Per our E-mail Guidelines, we do not accept mail from these addresses. If you are blocked with RTR:BB and have a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), open a support request to lift an RTR:BB block. If you do not have a FQDN, please have your ISP create one for you and then open a support request.

Jeff

 

[schirpich]

Yes and yes. Luckily what I had done was actually correct. About a week after I had submitted a request to the AOL Postmaster email is sending and receiving without issue now.

Thanks for taking the time, DNS is kinda new to me as I have not had to deal with it very often. But I guess I was able to make enough sense of what I read/searched online.

Funny thing is, the morning after I updated my original post I've been getting all sorts of brute force attacks so I'll be taking those details out of the post again.