[kwlug disc.] Email problems

[Rashkae]

Insurance Squared Inc. wrote:
> I have sporadic problems with getting my email off of my server.  
> Running Linux (though it's happening on all the machines on my home 
> network) through a home router, through a dsl modem and over to my 
> Mandrake server.
> 
> What happens is when I use thunderbird to download my email from my 
> account on my server, it sits and spins for quite a while.  Then it 
> seems to connect and download fine.  Uploading emails is instant. Web 
> traffic is instant as well.  It's only downloading email from my server 
> to all the machines on my home network that has this problem.
> 
> Also it seems sporadic.  It's been doing it for a few days now nonstop.  
> Prior to that it hadn't done it in a few months.  It almost acts like 
> it's having nameserver problems like where it waits for one nameserver 
> and times out to go to the second.  But I'm not having any ns problems.
> 
> My email client says it's connected immediately, but I don't see the 
> connection in the logs on the server until after the delay.  It's not my 
> end computer since it happens on different email accounts on different 
> computers at home here.
> 
> I've powered down and up my router and modem.  No change.
> 
> I'm stumped - any thoughts on how to diagnose this further?
> 
> 

Second idea., ident lookup.  If your mail server is sending an ident 
request back to the client when it connects, and your router is 
configured to be perfectly stealthed, you will also encounter another 
situation that causes long time outs.  Most routers are configured by 
default to reject ident for this very reason.  Try testing your home 
system on Shields-up web site and see if it says you are 100% stealthed 
or if your router is blocking ident outright.