SOLVED Mail sent from email client stuck in queue

[TRT]

We recently transferred our cpanel accounts from one VPS to another .

After the transfer it seems we are not able to send emails using any email client (webmail works correctly).

All emails sent to any domain outside the VPS are stuck in the queue and mail delivery report status ends up being " Remote host closed connection in response to end of data "

If we try to force send an email we get the following log in queue manager

LOG: MAIN
cwd=/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot 4 args: /usr/sbin/exim -v -M 1qMbzZ-0009ab-2b
delivering 1qMbzZ-0009ab-2b
Connecting to dedrelay.secureserver.net [208.109.80.54]:25 ... TFO mode sendto, no data: EINPROGRESS
connected
SMTP<< 220 p3plsmtpout002.prod.phx3.secureserver.net : HOSTING RELAY : ESMTP Ded Hosting relay server ready
SMTP>> EHLO ***.***.***.***
SMTP<< 250-p3plsmtpout002.prod.phx3.secureserver.net hello [***.***.***.***], pleased to meet you
250-HELP
250-SIZE 50000000
250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
250-8BITMIME
250-STARTTLS
250 OK
SMTP>> STARTTLS
SMTP<< 220 2.0.0 Ready to start TLS
SMTP>> EHLO ***.***.***.***
SMTP<< 250-p3plsmtpout002.prod.phx3.secureserver.net hello [***.***.***.***], pleased to meet you
250-HELP
250-SIZE 50000000
250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
250-8BITMIME
250 OK
SMTP>> MAIL FROM:<****@******.***> SIZE=27126
SMTP<< 250 2.1.0 <****@******.***> sender ok
SMTP>> RCPT TO:<****@******.***>
SMTP<< 250 2.1.5 <****@******.***> recipient ok
SMTP>> DATA
SMTP<< 354 OK
SMTP>> (writing message)
SMTP>> .
SMTP(closed)<<
LOG: MAIN
H=dedrelay.secureserver.net [208.109.80.54]: Remote host closed connection in response to end of data
SMTP(close)>>
cmdlog: '220:EHLO:250-:STARTTLS:220:EHLO:250-:MAIL:250:RCPT:250:DATA:354:.'
Connecting to dedrelay.secureserver.net [208.109.80.210]:25 ... TFO mode sendto, no data: EINPROGRESS
connected
SMTP<< 220 p3plsmtps2ded01.prod.phx3.secureserver.net : HOSTING RELAY : ESMTP Ded Hosting relay server ready
SMTP>> EHLO ***.***.***.***
SMTP<< 250-p3plsmtps2ded01.prod.phx3.secureserver.net hello [**.**.**.***], pleased to meet you
250-HELP
250-SIZE 50000000
250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
250-8BITMIME
250-STARTTLS
250 OK
SMTP>> STARTTLS
SMTP<< 220 2.0.0 Ready to start TLS
SMTP>> EHLO ***.***.***.***
SMTP<< 250-p3plsmtps2ded01.prod.phx3.secureserver.net hello [**.**.**.***], pleased to meet you
250-HELP
250-SIZE 50000000
250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
250-8BITMIME
250 OK
SMTP>> MAIL FROM:<****@******.***> SIZE=27126
SMTP<< 250 2.1.0 <****@******.***> sender ok
SMTP>> RCPT TO:<****@******.***>
SMTP<< 250 2.1.5 <****@******.***> recipient ok
SMTP>> DATA
SMTP<< 354 OK
SMTP>> (writing message)
SMTP>> .
SMTP(closed)<<
LOG: MAIN
H=dedrelay.secureserver.net [208.109.80.210]: Remote host closed connection in response to end of data
SMTP(close)>>
cmdlog: '220:EHLO:250-:STARTTLS:220:EHLO:250-:MAIL:250:RCPT:250:DATA:354:.'
LOG: MAIN
== ****@*******.com R=send_to_smart_host T=remote_smtp defer (-18) H=dedrelay.secureserver.net [208.109.80.210]: Remote host closed connection in response to end of data

please note that the process hangs for around 5 minutes on SMTP>> (writing message) before continuing and the mail stays in queue since it's not sent

I really appreciate any help regarding this matter.

 

[xpy-xpy]

Looks like a Godaddy - specific issue. Have you tried contacting their support?

 

[TRT]

i contacted them several times and they refuse to help since it's a self managed vps and they don't have access to help.

 

[xpy-xpy]

Two suggestions:

1. Verify that your Smarthost SMTP Relay is configured correctly, as per your host's instructions:

How to Set Up a Smarthost SMTP Relay with cPanel | cPanel Blog

Learn how a Smarthost improves email deliverability and how to set up a Smarthost SMTP relay with cPanel and the Exim mail transfer agent.

blog.cpanel.com

2. In case you have been migrated to a different Godaddy datacenter make sure you are using the correct relay server:

GoDaddy - Find the SMTP relay server for my Gen 4 VPS

Here are the SMTP relay server addresses we use for your Generation 4 VPS.

uk.godaddy.com

 

[cPRex]

Is this happening with all emails, or only when sending to certain addresses?

 

[TRT]

Two suggestions:

1. Verify that your Smarthost SMTP Relay is configured correctly, as per your host's instructions:

How to Set Up a Smarthost SMTP Relay with cPanel | cPanel Blog

Learn how a Smarthost improves email deliverability and how to set up a Smarthost SMTP relay with cPanel and the Exim mail transfer agent.

blog.cpanel.com

2. In case you have been migrated to a different Godaddy datacenter make sure you are using the correct relay server:

GoDaddy - Find the SMTP relay server for my Gen 4 VPS

Here are the SMTP relay server addresses we use for your Generation 4 VPS.

uk.godaddy.com

Yes the smart host is correct and we're pointing the right relay server for the current data center. The old one was a different relay server.

I am trying to contact godaddy to verify the details of the settings but that section has not been touched and it was working on the old data center.

Is this happening with all emails, or only when sending to certain addresses?

It's happening to all emails that are bound outside the localdomains.



The thing is if you check the log everything seems find until our VPS sends the message followed by the "." to indicate end of message. That's where the server hang for ~ 5 minutes waiting for a reply from the relay server which just closes the connection without any response code or anything

 

[cPRex]

Since there is a smarthost involved, it would make sense to investigate there, or is the mail not even reaching the smarthost?

 

[TRT]

Since there is a smarthost involved, it would make sense to investigate there, or is the mail not even reaching the smarthost?

That's what i am trying to understand if it's actually reaching or not. I think it is since the smarthost is replying up until we send it the Data message followed by the "."
and than it doesn't reply. ( correct me if i am wrong please since i provided the log from queue manager )

Till today i am still trying to contact godaddy regarding this issue and asking if they can check a log from the smarthost side or something but they keep treating the smarthost as a third party and i should be checking it out and no them

 

[TRT]

Update: finally after 3 days of suffering I was able to contact a VPS support team with GoDaddy using a phone number and not the Chat or regular phone number.

The agent was able to verify that it was not Exim or smarthost related but it was something to do with network script file (under sysconfig network scripts) he had to add a line there and everything seems to work correctly now.

Just posting the update here in case someone faces the same problem with GoDaddy in the future.

Thanks

 

[cPRex]

I'm glad they were able to get that fixed for you!

 

[Christian72arg]

Update: finally after 3 days of suffering I was able to contact a VPS support team with GoDaddy using a phone number and not the Chat or regular phone number.

The agent was able to verify that it was not Exim or smarthost related but it was something to do with network script file (under sysconfig network scripts) he had to add a line there and everything seems to work correctly now.

Just posting the update here in case someone faces the same problem with GoDaddy in the future.

Thanks

Hello TRT

I am having exactly the same timeout problem with the same relay for weeks and Godaddy does not give me any help.

Now I'm trying to get cPanel support (always much kinder) to help me solve it, and I wanted to ask you if you could tell me more precisely what the solution consisted of.

Thank you so much

 

[cPRex]

@Christian72arg - have you already submitted a ticket to our support team?

 

[Christian72arg]

Hello, yes Im talking with cpanel supoort (95102890) from last week. Now they will try to remove and reinstall exim.
Yesterday I did a Reset from the option included in Exim on the new VPS, and re-entered the dedrelay.secureserver.net relay in the Smarthost option. With this modification, what I have achieved is that in the Trace option (cPanel -> Forwards) it now shows that it says "lookuphost via dedrelay.secureserver.net" (previously it said "untraceable route to local delivery"). I'm excited about the change but now the messages always stay in the Queue anyway. I don't see "timeout" error messages but they still haven't been sent, and now the messages generated in scripts aren't sent either. (Previously, although forwards failed, sending direct scripts to hotmail worked). Now everyone stays in the Queue.

 

[Christian72arg]

The cpanel people told me that will elevate to level 3 for support because the reinstall didnt solve.
I like to know what was the solution commented in this post, maybe is a simple fix.

 

[cPRex]

I'm not sure since that solution was on the GoDaddy side of things, so it seems these may be separate issues. I'm following along with that ticket now.

 

[cPRex]

@Christian72arg - our team was able to confirm the problem is with the connection to the smarthost, and not an issue with the cPanel tools. I do see we're still trying to help in the ticket, but out assistance will likely be a bit limited at this point.

 

[Christian72arg]

Thanks for your time.

I find it hard to believe that it is a problem with the relay. Godaddy offers minimal support, but on the one hand they have confirmed that the relay works fine, and also if it was the relay there should be hundreds of customers complaining about the same problem.

On the other hand, if you have access to my ticket in private, I tell them there that I tried a different relay (also owned by Godaddy), and the same problems continue.
But also initially only the Forward accounts did not work, and the emails sent from PHP worked well.
But now after reinstalling Exim and/or resetting its configuration (and obviously entering the two relays to test, the original one and a different one now), emails sent in PHP don't work either.
This cannot be the result of a relay failure because initially the messages from PHP worked fine.
That is why I am asking you about any other particularity in Exim/WHM that may be causing this inconvenience.

At first, the coincidence with the user who opened this post caught my attention since I also migrated from a Centos 7 server to another Almalinux 8 (different versions of cPanel because Centos was deprecated) using the WHM Transfer Tool option and since then first Forward emails didn't work, and now after reinstalling Exim and even trying another relay, php emails don't work either.

Thank you

 

[cPRex]

It would be best to include all these details in the ticket, as we have direct access to the server there.

 

[Christian72arg]

Yes, In my last response within the ticket I expressed a summary of everything done from the beginning, mentioning what was commented here as well. Thank you

 

[TRT]

Hello TRT

I am having exactly the same timeout problem with the same relay for weeks and Godaddy does not give me any help.

Now I'm trying to get cPanel support (always much kinder) to help me solve it, and I wanted to ask you if you could tell me more precisely what the solution consisted of.

Thank you so much

Hi,

I solved it by contacting the VPS support team using the phone number you can find under the manage server settings. ( the page where you can stop, restart, rebuild your server) ... if you scroll down you will see a phone number under support. not sure if all numbers are the same or it depends on where your server is hosted.

The first time I called the guy on the phone wasn't much help but luckily the second time I got someone who knew what to do.

I am not sure what he edited since he did it from his side but he mentioned something with a misconfiguration in the sysconfig network script maybe you can call that number and ask them to check it out , but be sure to call that number and not regular GoDaddy support number.


Best of luck