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SBC Email Problem

The Division of Information Technology has recently come across an issue of sending email from SBC providers (ameritech.net, flash.net, nvbell.net, pacbell.net, prodigy.net, sbcglobal.net, snet.net, swbell.net, wans.net). In October 2004, SBC began phasing in filtering Port 25 network traffic by geographical regions. This filter prevents DSL and dial-up users from sending email using non-SBC SMTP servers (e.g. mailrl.sfsu.edu). If you or your users receive a "connection timed out" error message when sending email, the cause could be the Port 25 filter. To request the removal of the Port 25 filter, follow the instructions below.

You will need to unblock Port 25 for your SBC account and ALL sub accounts as well.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REQUESTING SBC PORT 25 FILTER REMOVAL
  1. Visit the following web site: http://help.sbcglobal.net/servabuse.php

  2. You may be prompted with the question "Which service do you need help with?"
    Choose Dial or DSL by selecting the appropriate radio button.
    Select your email domain from the pull-down menu (e.g., sbcglobal.net).
    Click Continue.

  3. Fill out all of the required fields in the "Your Contact Information" section of the online form. (First Name, Last Name,
    Member ID, etc.).
    Member ID is the name you created when you activated your DSL/dial-up account.
    Enter your SFSU email address in Alternate Email Address field.

  4. Select Opt Out Port 25 from the "Abuse Type" pull-down menu.
    Select Email from the "Abuse Occurred In" pull-down menu.
    Enter Please remove the Port 25 filter for my account in the "Abuse Description" text box.

  5. Submit the form by clicking on the Send Abuse Report button. SBC will send an acknowledgement that your request has been received.

  6. Repeat the steps above for each sub account that you have. Any sub accounts need to be entered, on a separate form. If you want your main SBC account and 10 subaccounts unblocked you will be submitting 11 different requests. This is explained at: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12389697~mode=full

  7. Wait until the port filter is removed before attempting to send email with your SFSU account through your SBC Internet connection. SBC has indicated that filter block removals can take from 12-72 hours from the time the request was submitted. You should normally receive an email from SBC indicating ' Port 25 Granted.'

  8. In order for the changes to take effect, you will need to shut down your computer. If you have a router, power off the router, wait 15 seconds and power it back on again. Turn on your computer.

For more information from SBC visit http://help.sbcglobal.net/article.php?item=4640

How to Check if Port 25 is Blocked on Your Computer

If you are experiencing problems sending mail through mailrl.sfsu.edu with your SFSU account run the following test. This test will determine if your computer's Port 25 is blocked. If the port is blocked and you have not configured a firewall (or some other hardware/software) to block port 25, you will need to fill out the form above to request a Port 25 block removal from SBC.

  1. Launch a telnet application such as Microsoft Windows' Telnet or Mac OS Terminal.
    If you are using Microsoft Windows XP or 2000, click onStart > Run and in the Open field type cmd then click OK.
    If you are using Microsoft Windows 98 or Me, click on Start > Run and in the Open field type command then click OK.
    If you are using a Macintosh OS X system, go into your Applications > Utilities folder and launchTerminal. Terminal

  2. Type telnet mailrl.sfsu.edu 25 then press the enter/return key.

  3. You should see something similar to the message directly below except the date and time will display the present date and time.

    Trying 130.212.10.113...
    Connected to mailrl.sfsu.edu.
    Escape character is '^]'.
    220 mailrl.sfsu.edu ESMTP Sendmail 8.12.10/8.12.10; Tue, 5 Apr 2005 11:43:38 -0700
  4. If you do not see the message directly above, your port 25 is blocked and you will not be able to send mail via SFSU's mailrl.sfsu.edu server.
    If you are running any firewall or applications that block ports, check to make sure the software/hardware is not configured to block port 25. (Windows XP's default firewall settings do not block port 25).
    If you are certain your software/hardware is not blocking port 25, you should follow the instructions above to request a Port 25 Filter Removal from SBC.

  5. If you did connect successfully, confirm the connection by typing helo mailrl.sfsu.edu then press the return key.

  6. If you receive the message pleased to meet you, then port 25 is not blocked and you should be able to send mail through mailrl.sfsu.edu (assuming you have configured your email program correctly).
    If you do not receive the message pleased to meet you, then port 25 is blocked and you should follow the instructions above to request a Port 25 Filter Removal from SBC.

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Last Modified: 6 Apr 2005
doit@sfsu.edu