What's going on here?!

[myrgoups]

I have numerous messages that seem to have totally disappeared, and creating new addresses seems to be a mis-and-hit affair, with more misses than hits. So yes, one could say that this is still a problem for me.

I totally understand the fact that this is run as a free service, but I would just love to see SG reincarnate as something more reliable, and I would not hesitate to pay a reasonable amount of money for it. IIRC Spamex charges $ 9.95/yr, which I would have no problem at all with; in fact, as SG is more user friendly, I would be prepared to pay even a bit more than that.

[calicomiaou]

At least 2 definitely missing here, that I know of.

[lwc]

I already have 4 lost messages that I know of and it keeps growing...I really don't like the fact that I haven't got one message all day...

[TerDale]

I have a lot of emails missing for a few days, and surprisingly I received this bounce:

[...]
Received: from watchthatpage (213-145-165-82.dd.nextgentel.com [213.145.165.82])
by gourmet.spamgourmet.com (8.13.7/8.13.7) with SMTP id k7M5ZvTN008110
for <watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net>; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:35:59 -0700
Message-Id: <200608220535.k7M5ZvTN008110@gourmet.spamgourmet.com>
Received: (qmail 32197 invoked for bounce); 19 Aug 2006 23:49:30 -0000
Date: 19 Aug 2006 23:49:30 -0000
From: "MAILER-DAEMON@watchthatpage"<+watchthatpage+jmdlpro+be9a2e0885.MAILER-DAEMON#watchthatpage@spamgourmet.com>
To: <a href="mailto:watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net">watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net</a>
Subject: failure notice
X-Spamgourmet: (watchthatpage: message 5 of 20)
Return-Path: +watchthatpage+jmdlpro+be9a2e0885.MAILE ... ourmet.com
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 22 Aug 2006 05:36:11.0708 (UTC) FILETIME=[E06F5FC0:01C6C5AC]
X-Text-Classification: regular
X-POPFile-Link: http://127.0.0.1:9090/jump_to_message?view=5317

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at watchthatpage.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com>:
I'm not going to try again; this message has been in the queue too long.

--- Below this line is a copy of the message.

Return-Path: MAILER-DAEMON@watchthatpage<+watchthatpage+jmdlpro+be9a2e0885.MAILER-DAEMON#watchthatpage@spamgourmet.com>
Received: (qmail 14291 invoked from network); 12 Aug 2006 22:49:29 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO localhost) (216.75.35.164)
by 0 with SMTP; 12 Aug 2006 22:49:29 -0000
Received: from gourmet (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1])
by (8.13.7/8.13.7) with ESMTP id k7CMnXHJ011667
for <watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com>; Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:49:33 -0700
Received: (from jqh1@localhost)
by gourmet (8.13.7/8.13.7/Submit) id k7CMnX51011660
for <a href="mailto:watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com">watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com</a>; Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:49:33 -0700
X-Authentication-Warning: gourmet: jqh1 set sender to <a href="mailto:watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net">watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net</a> using -f
Received: from localhost (localhost)
by (8.13.7/8.13.7) id k7CMnW8Q011639;
Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:49:32 -0700
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:49:32 -0700
From: <a href="mailto:watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net">watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net</a>
Message-Id: <200608122249.k7CMnW8Q011639@>
To: <a href="mailto:watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com">watchthatpage@www.watchthatpage.com</a>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
boundary="k7CMnW8Q011639.1155422972/localhost"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Subject: Returned mail: see transcript for details
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated (failure)
X-Spamgourmet:

This is a MIME-encapsulated message

--k7CMnW8Q011639.1155422972/localhost

The original message was received at Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:49:32 -0700
from localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net>
(reason: 550 Service unavailable; Client host [216.75.35.164] blocked using 85.blacklist.zap; Mail From IP Banned)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mail.global.sprint.com.:
>>> DATA
<<< 550 Service unavailable; Client host [216.75.35.164] blocked using 85.blacklist.zap; Mail From IP Banned
550 5.1.1 <watchthatpage.z.jmdlpro@xoxy.net>... User unknown
<<< 554 Error: no valid recipients
[...]

So, it sounds like SG is blacklisted, hence why so many emails are vanishing...

Josh, what do you think?

PS: I can send you the full email if needed, just LMK.

Update:
Sounds like _all_ my SG emails are missing since last friday (18th).
Moreover I checked http://www.dnsstuff.com/ and http://openrbl.org/, and 216.75.35.164 is listed at least on 1 RBL (different) on each of them. Sounds bad....

[student82_]

At the risk of repeating what some people have posted before:

I have a ton of lost messages by now. And it worries me that there are no recent posts by Josh regarding that matter...

[myrgoups]

I think Terdale has hit the nail square on the head: the messages from one or two senders do get through, while the majority doesn't -- probably from domains that do not use RBLs. That seems to support his conclusion. Good sleuthing, BTW!

[lwc]

I got one message with half a day delay and others randomally did arrive.

[josh]

Thanks for the info -- with regard to the performance of the server, we've been tuning it all week, and it seems to have stabilized, but we'll still be working to improve performance.

An analysis of the logs indicates that we've been under a heavy botnet attack for awhile now, and we're looking at ways to deal with that -- the bots are eating up a lot of connections.

With regard to the blacklist, we did research up front to ensure we weren't moving into a blacklisted situation with regard to the new ISP. If the server has been blacklisted since then, um, what can I say, but that you shoudn't use that blacklist, because that was a rather blockheaded move on their part.

[TerDale]

Thanks for the update Josh

With regard to the blacklist, we did research up front to ensure we weren't moving into a blacklisted situation with regard to the new ISP. If the server has been blacklisted since then, um, what can I say, but that you shoudn't use that blacklist, because that was a rather blockheaded move on their part.

What about if we are not the ones who did set these RBL? Actually in the above case this is a provider.

And BTW, I have another SG account, directed to a diff email account (different provider) and a lot of mails are still missing. So either the RBLs that list SG are widely used, either the pending attack is delaying them, and I'll get it later on.

Anyway, wouldn't it be considerable that you contact the owners of the RBLs listing SG and highlighted by dnsstuff and openrbl, in order to request to be removed?

BTW, thanks again for this killer service that I couldn't live without (I'm using it for years, already did a donation once ago, but would be ready for a yearly fee as others). Hope the situation will clear promptly, as this is the 1st time I notice such a severe disruption for years of use.

[josh]

I've never had any luck contacting the maintainers of blacklists (except for spamcop) - can you talk to your provider about it?

One configuration tweak did result in a queue buildup, which probably explains some delays. We're working to clear that out without disrupting the main service.

If we were to do a commercial service, it would be with all new domain names - and existing users would have to painfully migrate over (to the new, much less busy and more reliable service). That would suck, too, wouldn't it?

[calicomiaou]

If we were to do a commercial service, it would be with all new domain names - and existing users would have to painfully migrate over (to the new, much less busy and more reliable service). That would suck, too, wouldn't it?

I'm going to say this as respectfully as I possibly can right now:

Josh, are you paying attention to what we've been saying?

If commercial service means "new, much less busy and more reliable service", even if it means we have to migrate to new domain names, bring it on! Several people have posted here so far about being willing to pay for a fee-based Spam Gourmet service that is well-maintained and reliable.

Our current choices are merely two: we stick with Spam Gourmet and constantly worry about whether emails are getting through, or switch to some other less-secure, less-user friendly service that may or may not be reliable. Neither of these options are acceptable, in my view.

We want Spam Gourmet -- that should be good news to your ears. Let us have faith that you will give us a *reliable* Spam Gourmet, rather than attempting to dissuade us by suggesting that migrating will be too difficult on our end. That is up to each one of us to decide for ourselves.

If it is too difficult for YOU to give us what we want (again, reiterated simply: a reliable, well-maintained Spam Gourmet, even if we have to pay for it), then TELL US. Please.

We eagerly await your reply.

[SysKoll]

Guys,

Both Josh and me have a dayjob as well as a family that depends on said day job. That means we are reluctant to drop it and start a commercial venture with a for-pay version of spamgourmet for demanding SG users.

However, _I_ would love to get a subscription to such a site if someone picked up the spameater code and set it up. See my other posts on the subject. But neither Josh nor I can go commercial as long as our mortgages are running.

So, thanks for the offer, calicomiaou, but you are asking the wrong people. Find a young guy out of college who already has a Perl training, a stockpile of Ramen noodles and a low maintenance girlfriend. Send him the suggestion. Me, I'm a wuss.

[ben613]

I have not been receiving any email for a few days now. I just sent my self some email as a test (~11:40pm EST Tue 22 Aug) and it never arrived.

[TerDale]

Hi SysKoll & Josh,

However, _I_ would love to get a subscription to such a site if someone picked up the spameater code and set it up. See my other posts on the subject. But neither Josh nor I can go commercial as long as our mortgages are running.

Dunno about others, but on my side I am not in line with calicomiaou, when I was telling I would be ready for a fee, I was not thinking of a commercial service. Instead, I was thinking about a kind of participation (or a regular donation, or whatever we call it), in order to help you to ensure a more reliable service, in terms of resources and possibly time (though I perfectly understand your arguments about family & work, as I am in the same position).

This said, I remind again that I'm using SG for several years, and I'm very, very, veeeeerrrrrry happy with it. It is an essential stone of my email infrastructure.
Moreover I bet that both of you are the first users of this service, and as such, you'll strain to keep it as reliable as possible, in the frame of your other obligations of course. And instead of having built this service only for your personal use, you were kind/friendly/open-minded enough to let anybody take benefit of it. So a big thank for this. Consequently, I think the best we, the users, can do to help is to support you, by providing as much information as we can in case of problem. And, for those who can afford it, to make regular (yearly?) donations in order to make "SG life" easier for you.

Added: "Donate" link is on the home page of SG, for those who wonders

[TerDale]

I just figured out that most of my SG emails that are still missing were sent by the WatchThatPage service. After going to their home page, I read that _they_ have been blacklisted by SORBS, hence probably why I didn't get them.
Therefore, at least for these ones, SG is not the "culprit"

Moreover, I sent test emails yesterday, and thought I didn't receive them, while there were actually automatically trashed by a rule of my mailer. So I _did_ get them.