Score:0

status=deferred when sending a mail with Postfix on my VPS

cn flag

I come here after having searched on the net and groped for long.

I got a VPS on Debian 11 with the domain name leibnizproject.com and I want to send mails from it, with the command mail -s "test" myPersonalEmailAddress

But no mail is received and I get the following result (in /var/log/mail.info):

Jan 26 14:46:14 mail postfix/qmgr[1762]: 8ABCB1401CD: from=<[email protected]>, size=354, nrcpt=2 (queue active)
Jan 26 14:46:20 mail postfix/smtp[3288]: connect to mx-eu.mail.am0.yahoodns.net[188.125.72.73]:25: Connection timed out
Jan 26 14:46:20 mail postfix/smtp[3288]: C3ABC140201: to=<myPersonalEmailAddress>, relay=none, delay=60, delays=0.02/0.01/60/0, dsn=4.4.1, status=deferred (connect to mx-eu.mail.am0.yahoodns.net[188.125.72.7>
Jan 26 14:46:44 mail postfix/smtp[3291]: connect to mx-eu.mail.am0.yahoodns.net[188.125.72.73]:25: Connection timed out
Jan 26 14:46:51 mail postfix/pickup[3150]: 0CFAE140204: uid=0 from=<[email protected]>
Jan 26 14:46:51 mail postfix/cleanup[3286]: 0CFAE140204: message-id=<[email protected]>
Jan 26 14:46:51 mail postfix/qmgr[1762]: 0CFAE140204: from=<[email protected]>, size=343, nrcpt=1 (queue active)

Here is the content of /etc/postfix/postfix/main.cf (comments removed)

smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Debian/GNU)
biff = no
append_dot_mydomain = no
readme_directory = no
compatibility_level = 2
smtpd_tls_cert_file=/etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
smtpd_tls_key_file=/etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
smtpd_tls_security_level=may
smtp_tls_CApath=/etc/ssl/certs
smtp_tls_security_level=may
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
myhostname = leibnizproject.com
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
myorigin = leibnizproject.com
mydestination = leibnizproject.com, 197t.l.hostens.cloud, localhost.l.hostens.cloud, 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
inet_protocols = all

I've written leibnizproject.com as a hostname in the panel of my internet service provider.

This port scanner tells me that my port 25 is 'filtered'.

Is a reboot useful after having modified main.cf?

jp flag
Your ISP or VPS provider probably blocks the SMTP port 25. To fight spam, it is typical to block outbound port 25 on servers that are not known to send email directly. Contact your provider.
Zlotz avatar
cn flag
You're 100% right. Thanks.
Score:0
us flag

The "status=deferred" message in a Postfix log indicates that the email message has been temporarily deferred and will be retried later and its queued. This may occur for several reasons, but in your case, most probably the case is:

Spam filtering on destination mail server: The recipient mail server is blocking the email as potential spam, since there is no PTR & SPF records defined or your server IP address is listed in DNSBL.

Zlotz avatar
cn flag
No the good answer is Esa Jokinen's one
Zareh Kasparian avatar
us flag
Not All ISPs block port 25. if there is no PTR and SPF records your IP will be listed in DNSBL.
I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.