AOL has a big list of methods they use to block what they think are spam. Some of these things are:
- Reverse DNS Lookups: If you don't have an entry, your mail is dumped
- Mail Formatting: If the format of your message is not RFC Compliant, your mail is dumped.
- Open Relay Lists: If your IP is on a blacklist, your mail is dumped.
- MX Record Lookups: If the domain of your address does not have an MX record, your mail is dumped.
- Dynamic IP Lists: If you are on a (known) dynamically assigned IP address, your mail is dumped.
- Message Content: If your message contains obfuscated (hex-coded) URL's, your mail is dumped.
- Rolling Blockouts: Aol has been known to block whole blocks of IP's just because they feel like it.
The list goes on like this for awhile. For more info, pay a visit to http://postmaster.info.aol.com/
--JMR
Daniel.Brunner@xxxxxxxx wrote:
Hello!!
That's not always true.
I just sent mail using php to my AOL account, and it worked. The smtp mail server doesn't have a reverse dns lookup.
His problem might be that the SMTP server he is using my be on the black list.
http://www.ordb.org/
This will cause a ton of problems.
It took me 3 weeks to get off that list!!!
Anyway...
Instead of sending it like this...
mail($email, "application submitted", $message, "From: employment@xxxxxxxxxxxxx\r\n");
Do something like this...
$text = stripslashes($text); $subject = stripslashes($sub);
$header = "From: $From\nReply-To: $From\n"; $header .= "Cc: $cc\n"; $header .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\n"; $header .= "Content-Type: text/plain\n"; $header .= "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bnoit\n\n"; $header .= "$text\n";
mail($To, $subject, "", $header);
I alwasy like working with strings....
Dan
-----Original Message----- From: RJameson [mailto:RJameson@xxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 9:12 AM To: php-db Subject: RE: Re: mail() function and AOL users
I'm quite sure it's not a problem with the mail function. It's probably the reverse dns configuration on your SMTP/sendmail server. AOL & Verizon have been two real sticklers for that.
If you know the IP address that your server is sending the email from you can use this:
http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/ptr.ch?ip=YOURIPADDRESS
To check the revers dns resolution. You may be surprised.
<>< Ryan
-----Original Message-----
From: Manuel Lemos [mailto:mlemos@xxxxxxx] Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 10:28 PM
To: php-db@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: mail() function and AOL users
Hello,
On 12/12/2003 04:34 AM, Matt Perry wrote:
I use the following php mail function in an online applicaitonprogram:
mail($email, "application submitted", $message, "From: employment@xxxxxxxxxxxxx\r\n");
This function does not always work when I modify $message. I have checked for null values for $message already but this does not seem to
be the problem.
I am trying to develop some sort of pattern of when this function works and when it does not.
The only essential difference between the values I pass in for message
is the one that does not always work includes a link. Apparently anyone useing AOL email is particularly vulnerable to this problem.
Is it likely that AOL and other mail servers sometimes block any email
from a web site if it has a link in the main body? Or should I not be
useing mail() in this manner to begin with?
Maybe you are not generating the message headers and body properly. Without seeing the code that you use to define $message, it is hard to
tell.
I just suggest that you try this class to properly compose and send your messages:
http://www.phpclasses.org/mimemessage
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