Author Topic: Emailing stopped suddenly  (Read 8035 times)

tammy

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« on: January 07, 2005, 08:02:36 pm »
Greetings!

I tried to send out my first newsletter using ListMail today, and I encountered the following problem:

The first part of the list went fine. Then suddenly I lost connection to the server.

When I got back on it said "1018 Messages Left." When I clicked on "resume," I received the following message:

If your mailing stops for any reason, close the window or . Do NOT Refresh!

Sending Mail 0 of 1018..

Sending error. Check your mail settings.

Queue Row: queueid=581490df40c12c413de10265628bd6c3 msgtype=1 userid=1586 msgid=6 email=user@speakeasy.net)

Server said:503 RCPT first (#5.5.1)

Go to config

I followed the link to Config, and it looked fine. I clicked on "test mail settings" and all was fine, but I still get the same error.

1. Any idea why this may have happened?
2. How can I finish sending to the rest of the list?

Thanks for whatever info you can provide.

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2005, 11:54:51 am »
There is a known issue with emailing users on a domain that doesn't exist or is temporarily down.  I hope to have this all fixed up in the next update.  For now, try removing the address noted in the error message.

Regards
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

tammy

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2005, 01:13:33 pm »
Thanks, Dean.

I've removed the address using the User Database UI and clicked on resume once again, but I get the same error message referring to the same address.

What else can I do?

Thx.

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2005, 09:43:01 am »
Please search the forum for the word "debug".  Enable the SMTP debug messages in admin.php and send your message again.  Then, copy and paste (censoring exact email addresses for privacy) the last few lines and the error.
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

tammy

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2005, 01:59:31 pm »
Hi DW,

Okay. I uncommented the "$bugs" line in admin.php. After resuming the newsletter send, I now get (note: userid redacted):
---
Connecting to SMTP server... Connected!
EHLOmsg=250-mail2.speakeasy.net
250-PIPELINING
250-SIZE 20971520
250-STARTTLS
250-AUTH LOGIN PLAIN
250 8BITMIME

pipelining support enabled.
NOOPmsg=250 ok

If your mailing stops for any reason, close the window or . Do NOT Refresh!

Sending Mail  of 1018..
PIPELINE-FROMmsg=250 ok .
RCPT TO: <[redacted]@speakeasy.net>
RCPTmsg=554 Sorry, no mailbox here by that name. (#5.1.1)
DATAmsg=503 RCPT first (#5.5.1) .

Sending error. Check your mail settings.

Queue Row: queueid=581490df40c12c413de10265628bd6c3 msgtype=1 userid=1586 msgid=6 email=[redacted]@speakeasy.net)

Server said:503 RCPT first (#5.5.1)
---

It seems there is no mailbox for this user at speakeasy.net.

In your previous post, you suggested removing the offending email from the list. How do I remove the email from the resume queue? I assume it is a different thing than I did before, which is removing it from the user list.

Thx.

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2005, 05:26:19 pm »
Hmm, I thought I had fixed this bug (problems with removed users who are still in queue) in the latest distribution available from the members area.  I see you joined on Dec 7th, so it should probably be in there.  To be safe, grab the latest files and overwrite yours (except config.php).

There may be an issue with removed users who are still in the database.  Do you have the option "Keep removed users in database but don't mail" enabled for your list?  If so, try toggling the User listing to "Removed" and delete the user once and for all or change the address to one that is deliverable.
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

BGSWebDesign

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tracking down and finding bad users emails... how?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2005, 07:09:41 am »
Hi DW,

I've been using LMP for almost 1 year now, and it's working great, as you know...  one thing though, recently I keep getting this 550 errors:

Code: [Select]
Server said: 503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient)

Can you please tell me the easiest way to TRACK DOWN these bad emails in the lm_users table???  I can go into lm_sendq and delete the first record - which usually fixes the problem - for now - but it doesn't REMOVE the users from the lm_users table which have the bad Email address!

I'd like to know how to take the uid field in lm_sendq which appears to be decimal like: '103587' and convert that into a USERID I can track down in lm_users - but the uid in lm_users is a Hexadecimal number such as: '8c81bdd'.

Can you please tell me how to track those down and REMOVE them for good?   It's really slowing me down having bad email addresses in the lm_users table....  

One other thing please...  I keep getting these bad recipients showing up with EMPTY Emails???  This is quite strange as they have not occurred previously in that list, but now they are?   Here's the code with the 'bugs' variable turned on:

Code: [Select]

PIPELINE-FROMmsg=250 2.1.0 ... Sender ok .
RCPT TO: <>
RCPTmsg=553 5.0.0 <>... User address required
DATAmsg=503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient) .


Can you tell me why this might be happening?  I've never seen this before and I've been running this list for almost one year, I've not seen MANY (more than 3-4 emails) being shown as EMPTY emails???

Quick follow-up, my mailing stops at random times, sometimes 30 emails go out, sometimes 300, but always STOPS and gives me the 550 error, recipient needed, when I look at the error with bugs on it is reporting that the recipient is empty?  Can you tell me what would cause this?

Is there some other problem, or something else going on?
Thanks,
-Brett
http://www.bgswebdesign.com/Contact-Us.php

*** I do custom List Mail Pro installations ***
Contact me through my website (above)

BGSWebDesign

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bump....
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2005, 02:08:46 pm »
DW or anyone else....

Can someone please answer questions about tracking down bad email addresses from the listq table and finding them in the users table?..

Please see my previous message in this thread...
Thanks,
-Brett
http://www.bgswebdesign.com/Contact-Us.php

*** I do custom List Mail Pro installations ***
Contact me through my website (above)

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2005, 04:57:35 pm »
webshaman,

The error appears to have occurred before the debug output you specified.  Can you send the debut output from the last _two_ messages when it stalls?  There might be more clues here.
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

BGSWebDesign

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2005, 06:29:08 am »
Hi DW,

Thanks for checking in, I REALLY NEED To know, HOW to convert those ID's (in lm_sendq) into uid (user ID's) in the user table (lm_users) so I can locate any bad record in the user table - ALSO - read below about problem with 550 - just your best guess would be great on the 550 - but I'm sure you must know how to convert the bad record ID's in the lm_sendq table as you wrote the code?

Quote
Can you send the debut output from the last _two_ messages when it stalls? There might be more clues here.


I'm sorry, but it's working for now, BUT, I still would like a guess on your part as to why it does this sporadically - I've had it happen before - it seems once in a great while I hit a list that keeps giving me these 550 errors, and I have to keep deleting the top record in the lm_sendq table and re-send to get it going - but it's annoying as it can happen every 10-15 records, and then be ok for 100-200 records, and then do it again, it happens over and over, and is a mess UNTIL I finish sending that one sendq batch.  Any ideas?  

I can't duplicate the problem right now as it only happens sporadically and infrequently, so I cannot duplicate the 550 error problem, of course I can always create sendq records, and would like assistance on that please?

Thanks in advance,
Thanks,
-Brett
http://www.bgswebdesign.com/Contact-Us.php

*** I do custom List Mail Pro installations ***
Contact me through my website (above)

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2005, 12:40:24 am »
This is a very serious issue and I apologize for the frustration it is causing you.  

My best guess, derived from user reports, is that this happens on some servers when a target email has a non-existant or temporarily unavailable domain.

The uid field in lm_sendq corresponds with the id field in the lm_users table.

I plan to fix this very soon and have it in the next release.
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

BGSWebDesign

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2005, 09:45:05 am »
Hi DW,

Quote from: "DW"
My best guess, derived from user reports, is that this happens on some servers when a target email has a non-existant or temporarily unavailable domain.


I would bet this will be a HUGE problem eventually?  I read just last week that because of spammers the ISP's are working on ways to turn OFF the DNS lookup on email - because spammers are buying up domains and then not turning them on until after they send their email.  

This would cause a serious problem right?  It would mean that if anyone entered an address at an invalid or non-existant server like that it would bring down ALL of LMP and it's mailing functions?  Please let me know when you think the next update is coming - I know you keep saying soon - but it's been almost 1 year now???

Quote
The uid field in lm_sendq corresponds with the id field in the lm_users table.


Yes, it does, but one of them is in Hexadecimal, the other is decimal notation, is that what you will fix in the next release?  Is there a simple converter program I can run WITHIN SQL that will let me select the lm_sendq record in the lm_users table to find the bad one?  I tried a straight select but it never finds anything - and returns nothing.
Thanks,
-Brett
http://www.bgswebdesign.com/Contact-Us.php

*** I do custom List Mail Pro installations ***
Contact me through my website (above)

toma

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2005, 03:46:05 pm »
The answer to the problem of bad email addresses stopping listmail seems like it can be solved with an -H flag when sendmail is invoked. -H turns off reverse dns lookup.

Where in listmail is sendmail invoked and is it possible to add a flag at that point?

Thanks

Tom
A new customer with the email stoppage problem at crimescene.com

DW

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Emailing stopped suddenly
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2005, 05:42:41 pm »
Could this be a sendmail-specific issue?  I have only heard of about 5 people who have this problem but it is definitely starting to bug me (no pun intended:)).

ListMail queues up (non welcome/confirm/notification) messages via SMTP and does not invoke sendmail directly.  This means we cannot set the -H flag, unless (possibly) we were to edit the sendmail config files.  The aforementioned exceptions use internal PHP mail(), which invokes sendmail with options in PHP.INI

My guess is I will be able to solve this if I can get access to a server that has the problem.

Does anyone want to set up a second ListMail database/installation that I can test on?

Regards!
Dean Wiebe
ListMailPRO Author & Developer - Help | Support | Hosting

BGSWebDesign

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Tracking down issue of bad UID? Getting 503 Error Need RCPT
« Reply #14 on: February 10, 2005, 06:00:14 am »
DW,

Ok, it's happening again, bad records every 50-100 in the lm_sendq table...

UPDATE: Ok, trying to track down a BAD uid in the lm_users table, it is NOT there, probably because my BOUNCE routine deleted the record in the middle of the night, or because that person REMOVED themselves in the middle of this lm_sendq batch (I ADDED my own Global Remove, so it's very likely that they removed themselves from another list and are no longer available for emailing).

DW, that's what's causing the problem, so you need to have a way - when running domail.php to see if the record is NOT there, and if it's not delete the record from lm_sendq and continue on, that way the mailing will go on as planned, maybe save the bad record in a table for later lookup to see the bad ones?

The only way I can continue is to delete the top record in the lm_sendq table and start the mailing again, when I do it's fine for 50-100 records, or maybe more, than blows up again, and I have to delete the top record again...

DW, do you have an idea of the code I could add to domail.php to solve this problem instead of seeing the error: Server said: 503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient)?

SECOND UPDATE:  I tried adding this code in admin.php
Code: [Select]
// BAS-MOD ADDED CODE TO SKIP BAD RCPTS
        if($lastmsg == '503'){
         fputs($ssock, "RSET\r\n");
         $srvmsg = fgets($ssock,1024);
         if($bugs){ echo "RSETmsg=$srvmsg<br>"; flush(); }
         $error = 1;  $skiptonext = 1;
         if($bugs){ echo "Bad RCPT response ($email), skipping.<br><br>"; flush(); }
        } else $error = '';
// END BAS-MOD


Right after this:
Code: [Select]

        if ($lastmsg <> "250") {
         $error = 1;
        } else $error = '';


and before this:
Code: [Select]
if($lastmsg == '550'){

But it didn't seem to work properly, I thought it would skip the bad records and continue with sending?   DW your thoughts?

THIRD UPDATE:  I added this code
Code: [Select]

// BAS-MOD ADDED CODE TO SKIP BAD RCPTS
if($email=='') {
         if($bugs){ echo "RSETmsg=$srvmsg<br>"; flush(); }
         flush();
         $error = 1;  $skiptonext = 1;
} else {


Just After the loop begins for SMTP Pipelining, just before this code
Code: [Select]

       fputs($ssock, "MAIL FROM: <$errmail>\r\n");
       fputs($ssock, "RCPT TO: <$email>\r\n");


and it seems to work, DW, is that ok?   Any problems with doing this, still I'd like to have a way to know how many are BAD when doing a mailing...
Thanks,
-Brett
http://www.bgswebdesign.com/Contact-Us.php

*** I do custom List Mail Pro installations ***
Contact me through my website (above)