lost connection with mx.servername while performing the HELO handshake

Question

I am new to administering a mail server so I am at a loss when the mail server can send to certain emails like gmail, telus, and shaw but not other email addresses. Just specific ones I guess. Here is one example in the mail logs:

<[email protected]>, relay=mx.dockyardsliving.ca[65.254.254.50]:25, delay=67513, delays=67512/0.01/0.35/0, dsn=4.4.2, status=deferred (lost connection with mx.dockyardsliving.ca[65.254.254.50] while performing the HELO handshake)

Here is a look at my main.cf file too:

smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
biff = no

append_dot_mydomain = no

readme_directory = no

smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/mailserver.pem
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/mailserver.pem
smtpd_use_tls=yes
smtpd_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtpd_scache
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache

# information on enabling SSL in the smtp client.

smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
myhostname = localhost
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
mydestination = localhost, localhost.localdomain, , localhost
relayhost =
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
mailbox_size_limit = 0
recipient_delimiter = +
inet_interfaces = all
virtual_transport = dovecot
dovecot_destination_recipient_limit = 1
virtual_mailbox_domains = mysql:/etc/postfix/mysql-virtual-mailbox-domains.cf
virtual_mailbox_maps = mysql:/etc/postfix/mysql-virtual-mailbox-maps.cf
virtual_alias_maps = mysql:/etc/postfix/mysql-virtual-alias-maps.cf
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtpd_tls_security_level = may
smtpd_tls_auth_only = yes
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =  permit_mynetworks
                                permit_sasl_authenticated
                                reject_unauth_destination

Any idea why I can send to some emails but not others? Is there anything that looks out of order?

UPDATE

Ok so I changed

myhostname = mail.website.com

and Restarted the postfix service but I was now unable to receive email so I tried it with myhostname = website.com and still same thing. So I just went back to localhost for now.

UPDATE

So it works now. Checked the logs and the email is getting accepted at the location. Had to add the line below to main.cf

smtp_helo_name = mail.website.com

Thanks

Solution

Some mail servers are pretty strict about how you greet them, for example they could:

Reject connections where the domain provided at HELO and EHLO has neither an 'A' nor an 'MX' record in DNS

or

Reject the request when the HELO or EHLO hostname is not in fully-qualified domain or address literal form, as required by the RFC

smtp_helo_name defaults to $myhostname (which is in your main.cf set to localhost) so you can try setting it to proper host.example.com

Comments

[mbrownnyc]

I'm really surprised how many people post questions with no question in them. So please, what's the question? It helps clarify what you're expecting, and gives answersersr less wiggle room. Take a look at the man page for main.cf to understand what the contents of main.cf. If you're new to it, it will help you learn exactly what you're dealing with.

[JoeMoe1984]

@mbrownnyc I added the question at the end for clarity but I thought it was clear I couldn't send to specific emails.

[JoeMoe1984]

@mbrownnyc I followed this tutorial here which helped me understand a few things about email servershttps://workaround.org/ispmail/wheezy/big-picture

[joeqwerty]

@JoeMoe1984 - Describing the problem and asking a question about the problem are not the same thing. It's like the difference between you telling me that you would like an ice cream cone and you asking me to get you an ice cream cone. Telling we that you would like an ice cream cone doesn't invoke any action on my part.

[JoeMoe1984]

Ok I will check this out in a bit and let you know, Thanks.

[JoeMoe1984]

So I tried that and I got 220 impinc04.yourhostingaccount.com NO UCE ESMTP server ready which looks like a good response. This was after I made a few changes to the main.cf file though. Will do some more testing.

[JoeMoe1984]

So I changed the myhostname value to something more specific like mail.website.com and its possible that worked. I just want to confirm that it got to the other end first before I accept this answer.

[JoeMoe1984]

Ok so not sure if it worked for smtp but incoming is failing. I couldn't send to the email account anymore. I updated the question. Did I do it wrong?

[Dusan Bajic]

'failing' is not much of an info, is there anything in the logs? Also, try leaving myhostname = localhost there for the moment and just add smtp_helo_name=mail.website.com

[JoeMoe1984]

I think that did it my friend thanks.....here have a correct answer lol