RE: META: aol.com is blocking all mail from extropy.org

From: Pat Inniss (inniss@sprynet.com)
Date: Mon Jun 30 2003 - 18:32:36 MDT

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    AOL has blocked e-mail from EarthLink several times, sometimes for days
    before it was corrected. Their explanation was that their spam filters
    kick in when a certain, undisclosed number of messages are received
    simultaneously from a single IP. It didn't really have anything to do
    with whether the server was an open relay (a mail server that will send
    mail from any requestor) or not. None of the EarthLink servers were open
    relays, although it is not inconceivable that a spammer might have sent
    e-mail through one of their servers. AOL apparently just has a system
    that is sensitive to volume, and that's the primary criterion it uses to
    ID spam. When that threshold is breached, it blocks everything from the
    sending IP, although sometimes they do appear to block specific domains
    in the sender's address. A couple of years ago it took EarthLink ten
    days to sort it out with AOL, so fixes don't necessarily happen quickly.
    This isn't anything that unusual. AOL has a reputation for blocking
    traffic from e-mail lists. Check out http://www.mailinglists.org/aol/.

    Regards,

    Pat Inniss
    inniss@sprynet.com
    http://home.sprynet.com/~inniss

    -----Original Message-----
    From: owner-extropians@extropy.org [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]
    On Behalf Of BillK
    Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 3:21 PM
    To: extropians@extropy.org
    Subject: Re: META: aol.com is blocking all mail from extropy.org

    David,

    http://members.aol.com/adamkb/aol/mailfaq/#receiving

    The Unofficial AOL Email FAQ notes this problem:

    Another error, which began appearing in the late summer of 2000, looks
    like:

       ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
    <screenname@aol.com>

       ----- Transcript of session follows -----
    ... while talking to air-yg03.mail.aol.com.:
    >>> RCPT To:<screenname@aol.com>
    <<< 550 DIRECT CONNECTION FROM DIAL-UP OR DYNAMIC-IP DENIED
    550 <screenname@aol.com>... User unknown

    In this case, the mail is being rejected because AOL believes it is
    being sent directly from someone's computer, rather than through their
    ISP's legitimate mail server, a common sign of malicious or abusive
    email. This can be fixed by them using a stable, legitimate mail server.

    ---------------

    So AOL has decided it doesn't like extropy.org

    Further research at:
    http://postmaster.info.aol.com/mailer.html

    produces -

    550 - The IP address you're using to connect to AOL is either open to
    the free relaying of e-mail, is serving as an open proxy, or is a
    dynamic (residential) IP address. AOL cannot accept further e-mail
    transactions from your server until either your server is closed to free

    relaying/proxy, or your ISP removes your IP address from their list of
    dynamic IP addresses. For additional information, please visit
    http://postmaster.info.aol.com.

    If you are receiving the above bounce message, please check our Dial Up
    List search page, our open relay search page, and our open proxy search
    page to determine which of the above scenarios is causing your email
    issue.

    -------------

    Your IP is not on the Dial Up List database. So the problem is probably
     on the AOL open relay list or the open proxy list.

    I can't check this as AOL will reply to your IP address, so go to
    http://postmaster.info.aol.com/mailer.html

    and you will probably be able to get closer to a solution.

    Best of luck, BillK



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