DNSreport says it can't connect to my mail server...although the mail works

Question

When I run a test on my virtual domain at www.dnsreport.com I get the following FAILURE:
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ERROR: I could not complete a connection to any of your mailservers!
mail.thermal3p.com: Timed out [Last data sent: RCPT TO: ]
If this is a timeout problem, note that the DNS report only waits about 40 seconds for responses, so your mail may work fine in this case but you will need to use testing tools specifically designed for such situations to be certain.
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Mail is being received and sent via the virtualmailhost with only one known problem which is the reason I ran the report - one server keeps bouncing my outbound messages back with this vague error:
<[email protected]>: host
INBOUND.FILTER.THEPLANET.com[216.185.111.115] said: 550 Denied. S1 (in reply to RCPT TO command)
Here is the full report on my virtual domain:
http://www.dnsreport.com/tools/dnsreport.ch?domain=thermal3p.com
It would help if I could just narrow down wether it is a DNS record problem or a server setup problem. To me the server seems to be fine, but I also can't figure out what I've done wrong in the DNS setup. DNS records are hosted at GoDaddy.
THANKS,
Keith

Answer 1

Your mail server is answering, but isn't answering
with its MX name in the DNS record:
Can I tell if that is a DNS issue or a Server issue?
It's your choice. Depends on what you want the mail server's name to be. One option would be to change your MX record in your DNS zone file so that the MX host name matches the name announced by your server. Another option would be to change the name announced by your server to match the MX record in your DNS zone file.
Reverse DNS is wrong (some servers won't accept
email from you unless reverse DNS matches the
HELO/EHLO name):
I believe this is why the one server is bouncing me.
The IT told me to check that. Now the problem is
that I don't know how to fix it.
That's why I posted the entire response for your reverse DNS query. Here it is again:
; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> -x 71.154.29.157 ptr
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 5937
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;157.29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. IN PTR
;; ANSWER SECTION:
157.29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. 7200 IN PTR adsl-71-154-29-157.dsl.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net.
;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. 172800 IN NS ns1.pbi.net.
29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. 172800 IN NS ns2.pbi.net.</div>
The "Authority" for the 29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. subdomain are the nameservers at pbi.net. The person responsible for that nameserver needs to change the PTR record for 157.29.154.71.in-addr.arpa. from adsl-71-154-29-157.dsl.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net. to the name announced by your server (see above, first get the announced name to match your MX record).
Do you think I should be talking to my service
provider (sbcglobal.net) or the DNS host (godaddy) or
Myself (the hack that is responsible for setting up
the server)?
If you start talking to yourself, people wonder. Your service provider (sbcglobal.net) is the one that has to handle this.
Russ
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