Can't send email

February 17, 2006 12:48 PM

Email sending problem, using GoDaddy, Verizon DSL and a wireless setup. Two laptops, both have Thunderbird email settings set up exactly the same. I can receive just fine, but when I send I get this error: "553 Dynamic pool 71.124.245.174, http://unblock.secureserver.net/?ip71.124.245.*". GoDaddy's support page tells me to go to the URL listed, which leads me to this odd little unidentified page where I can request to have the IP unblocked.

I've gone ahead and made the request, for whatever that's worth. I presume this is in part due to our redirecting our GoDaddy email via Verizon (I don't really understand that bit). What I don't get is, everything's fine on the other laptop, and presumably both are using the exact same IP address provided by our wireless router. I should also note the same problem occurs using Outlook on the new laptop. I've Googled the error, and all I get is that same GoDaddy support page. Any thoughts? Should I hit up GoDaddy, Verizon, someone else?

posted by schoolgirl report to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Are you trying to send mail via a godaddy server from your current ISP? If so, your ISP may be blocking it. Try this:

Port Settings
The SMTP relay service is configured to work with the following ports: Port 25, Port 80, and Port 3535. For most email systems, the default port is 25 and your email client will use this automatically. If your ISP employs a firewall that prevents relays from using port 25, you may need to change your port settings to 80 or 3535.

If you are using Outlook 2000 or Outlook Express 6:
Step 1:
Select Accounts from the top menu bar of Outlook Express.

Step 2:
Highlight the account you would like to modify and click on Properties.

Step 3:
Click on the Advanced tab.

Step 4:
Change the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) from 25 to either 80 or 3535.

via
posted by maxpower at 12:58 PM on February 17, 2006

Well, changing ports didn't do the job, but your answer led me to a fix. Turns out the smtp server name needed to be slightly different than I originally had it. So thanks.

I'm still very curious about that strange IP unblock webpage.
posted by schoolgirl report at 1:12 PM on February 17, 2006

The 71.124.245.174 IP address is probably the dynamically assigned address in Verizon's DHCP pool that your DSL modem is using. GoDaddy is blocking SMTP or POP3 requests from those netblocks, to make mail zombies on the Verizon network unable to send mail thru GoDaddy servers. Presumably, if you can see and respond to the GoDaddy re-direct page, you are a human being and not a mail zombie, and your request will be duly noted, and probably acted upon.

As for things working on one laptop and not the other, it may be because NAT on your router is changing the port assignments dynamically, to share your public 71.124.245.174 IP, and the GoDaddy servers aren't seeing that as a valid request from the second machine. One way of checking this is to try sending mail from each machine, with the other off entirely. If that works, NAT is the issue, but that is the way NAT works. GoDaddy is going to have open their servers, or tell you how to address them, using dynamic SMTP port assignments through NAT firewalls.
posted by paulsc at 1:21 PM on February 17, 2006