On 10 Jan 2006 at 12:09, David Phillips <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> With mail-merge on:
> 1. mail is going out just fine to nearly every subscriber.
> 2. One ISP, verizon.net, is bouncing these emails.  We get a relaying
> not allowed message, then a bounced message in our postfix logs. 
> Verizon.net is the only ISP that's bouncing right now.
> 
> With mail-merge off:
> 1.  We have no problems with sending email to any of our subscribers
> 2.  Verizon gives us no problems.
> 
> The only difference we've been able to spot is the difference in the
> Return-Path header field.
> 
> We do NOT know, however, if that difference is the actual cause of
> verizon refusing us.

If it is, then it's a misconfiguration on Verizon's part. HOWEVER, I 
don't think so because my personal email address is at verizon.net 
and I just tested it. I receive mail-merge list mail there just fine, 
with the probe return address and everything.


> The errors we see in our postfix log, when mail-merge is on, are:
> Jan  7 04:01:06 shelmerston postfix/smtp[3952]: E6B2C73E73:
> to=<[redacted]@VERIZON.NET>, relay=relay.verizon.net[206.46.232.11],
> delay=50, status=bounced (host relay.verizon.net[206.46.232.11] said:
> 550 You are not allowed to send mail:sv6pub.verizon.net (in reply to
> MAIL FROM command))
> 
> Jan  7 04:01:06 shelmerston postfix/local[3930]: 68C7D63F66:
> to=<owner-gunroom*[redacted]**VERIZON*[log in to unmask]>,
> relay=local, delay=0, status=bounced (unknown user:
> "owner-gunroom*[redacted]**verizon*-net")
> 
> Is there a reason that the Return-Path has to be changed when
> mail-merge is on (that's what I don't understand yet.)

The only reason NOT to use probes is to save bandwidth by sending 
bulk email. If you're going to use mail-merge, you might as well use 
probes so that bounce processing works 100% of the time (assuming the 
receiving MTA sends to bounce to the right place) instead of whatever 
the percentage is on non-probe bounces.

Is there a reason it HAS to be that way? Well, from a technical point 
of view, it would be _possible_ for us to implement mail-merge such 
that it does not use probe bounces, in the same way as it would be 
possible for a car manufacturer to build a car without a seat belt -- 
but would it really make sense to do so in this day and age? 

-- 
Francoise Becker <[log in to unmask]>

Knowledge is just a click away: http://www.lsoft.com/optin.html