Re: [exim] retry question

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Author: postmaster
Date:  
To: Exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] retry question
Ian Eiloart wrote:
>
> --On 13 August 2007 10:13:39 -0500 cjackson <cjackson@???>
> wrote:
>
>> Ian Eiloart wrote:
>>>
>>> --On 10 August 2007 11:07:17 -0500 cjackson <cjackson@???>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I am having a very difficult time sending email to att.net with the
>>>> default Exim 4.62 configuration. Att.net gives me 450 Busy Retry error
>>>> on almost all email I send to them right after the connection attempt. I
>>>> notice that if I manually resend using exim -M <emailid> many times,
>>>> like once every second for 30 seconds, the email usually goes. What
>>>> configuration should I try in the configure file to make this happen? I
>>>> tried this but it doesn't work.
>>>>
>>>> att.net rcpt_450 F,1m,1s
>>> If they're busy, then it's not a good time to be hammering away at their
>>> server like this - you'll just make the situation worse. Have patience,
>>> and apply your usual retry rules.
>>>
>>>
>> Ordinarily, I'd agree with you. But their servers are _always_ too busy.
>> So that won't work. Exim gives up and won't retry ever -- so 450 becomes
>> essentially an immediate permanent error.
>>
>> I have been speaking with a qualified person at Bellsouth who has
>> informed me that certain IP blocks that ATT has identified as sources of
>> spam are "throttled". The blocks of course are DSL/DHCP addresses, plus
>> others lumped in there because it makes their lives easier at ATT.
>> Unfortunately, I'm in one of the other blocks that is static, so I get
>> the 450 treatment. I have no choice but to resend. It's sort like a
>> greylist, I guess.
>
> I see. I imagine that it's the number of retries that counts, not the rate
> of retries.
>
> However, throttling could mean lots of things. It could mean that they're
> limiting the rate of sending for all such hosts, in which case hammering
> away won't do you any good. Or, it could mean that they limit the number of
> concurrent connections, in which case hammering away may be your only
> choice.
>
> You need to find out what they mean by "throttling".
>


I am afraid "throttling" is about the only explanation I'm going to get,
and am probably damn lucky to get that one. All I know is that -qf5s -R
@att.net works 100% of the time before the 20th retry.

But my real problem is that the script is just a band-aid solution.
There are lots of people we do business with whose domains are hosted by
Bellsouth/ATT. The script won't set up the -qf5s queue runner for their
mail. I need a configuration file RETRY rule for the ATT gateway hosts
that works like -qf5s -R. How can this be accomplished? Is this a
wishlist item? Would there be objection?

Thanks.
Craig