AOL blocks all the email

[Andrew Jorgensen]

On 5/10/06, Andy Bradford <amb-1064524778 at bradfords.org> wrote:
> Thus said "Andrew Jorgensen" on Wed, 10 May 2006 08:30:55 MDT:
>
> > On 5/9/06, Andy Bradford <amb-plug at bradfords.org> wrote:
> > > My question wasn't  clear enough... where in WHOIS does  it list this IP
> > > as belonging to a cable/dsl/dialup pool?
> >
> > That data is usually stored in an RBL (aka DNSBL, DNS blacklist). Some
> > ranges are  well known to be  dynamic pools. RBLs keep  lists of those
> > and mail servers query those list when deciding to accept or reject.
>
> I  know all  about RBLs...  how can  any RBL,  based on  the information
> presented  by ARIN  about  70.97.153.82, decide  that it  is  part of  a
> cable/dsl/dialup? Is there another record  in ARIN that I'm missing, one
> that declares, ``I'm a dialup pool?'' Of course at this point we're back
> to the policies of an RBL maintainer.
>
> But in this case we aren't  talking about RBL maintainers, we're talking
> about Godaddy.  I was  attempting to  provide some  questions to  the OP
> which he could use to figure out  how this situation happens, how his IP
> got there, which he could then use  to formulate some kind of a response
> to Godaddy.  Does ELI possibly publish  its own list that  indicates the
> IPs are  cable/dsl/dialup? If  so, then  this is  something that  the OP
> should take up with ELI.

Sometimes ISPs report to RBLs which blocks are used for their clients,
sometimes the RBL maintainers just figure it out for themselves, or
perhaps they ask the ISP.  Other times I'm sure they make a good guess
and then get complaints from the ISP.  There's no official record of
this stuff that I know of, but it works pretty well.  AOL should not
be accepting mail from your server if your server might be your Mom's
worm-infested PC.

Of course some day worms will be smart enough to lookup the MX for the
domain if their host and ask it to relay for them.  That will be a fun
day - every ISP in the world will have to implement authenticated SMTP
in the same month.  There will probably be a public outcry. Fun, fun.