Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Hosting Security and Technology : Cant send mails to hotmail, even with a SPF Record

[sh4ka]

Hello,

I have 1 site on a dedicated server, this site can send mails to any server in the world, except to hotmail... I dont know why, each time we try to send a mail using a PHP Script (using nobody as user, as you can see in the code below) the server rejects the email sent to hotmail, this is the error:

2007-09-08 21:24:13 1IUCT7-0004BE-7A ** destinationuser@hotmail.com R=lookuphost T=remote_smtp: SMTP error from remote mail server after MAIL 
FROM:<nobody@server.theserver.com> SIZE=31435: host mx4.hotmail.com [65.54.244.232]: 550 Your e-mail was rejected for policy reasons on this gateway.  
Reasons for rejection may be related to content with spam-like characteristics or IP/domain reputation problems.  
If you are not an e-mail/network admin please contact your E-mail/Internet Service Provider for help.  
For e-mail delivery information, please go to http://postmaster.live.com

I checked and the server IP is not listed at any SPAM list, also domain has an SPF record that is configured like this:

domain.com.      14400   IN      MX      10      mail.domain.com.

mail    14400   IN      A       89.XX.XX.XX
www     14400   IN      A       89.XX.XX.XX
ftp     14400   IN      A       89.XX.XX.XX
server 14400 IN A  89.XX.XX.XX
domain.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 ip4:89.XX.XX.XX a mx a:mail.domain.com ~all"

Is the SPF record well configured?, and the MX record, i think its OK... never had issues with this kind of config on normal sites..

Just in case it helps, at /etc/localdomains i have 2 sites, the server hostname and the site domain.com.

Im using RHES 4 + cPanel 11.

Thank you.

[david510]

Check if the IP is listed in any of the spam database. Make sure reverse dns is set for the server main IP. The server hostname should have a valid dns entry. Try sending mail using this simple code.

PHP Code:

<?
mail("email@domain.com", "My Subject", "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3");
?>

[sam_cogan]

Do you have a reverse DNS Ptr record setup correctly for your domain? Hotmail and other free providers a renowned for rejecting mail if its not setup correctly.

[aww]

I went through this with them.
They cache SPF records.
There's an online form you have to send and eventually (like a week later) they will refresh it.