Originally published on eve.gd on 6 September 2012, last updated 6 September 2026.
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I run Google Apps for Domains to handle my email. Recently, a friend was having trouble emailing me. I asked her to send me the source of the message. In there, I found this:
Diagnostic-Code: smtp;554 5.7.1 <martin@martineve.com>: Relay access denied
My A records point to my server.
My MX records point to Google Apps.
I know that the Google Apps servers wouldn't refuse that request, so what's going on?
It turns out that Hotmail, in its infinite wisdom, decides that it would be better to query the A record and see if there's an SMTP server running on Port 25 there. If there is, it ignores the MX records and tries to relay through that server. So that'll be complete disregard for RFCs 974 and 2821 then. Humph.
decides that it would be better to query the A record
974
2821
So, the solution is either to use iptables to drop packets from Hotmail servers or, as I have now done (and meant to do from the start(!)), to move postfix to listen only on localhost.
inet_interfaces = localhost
That ought to do it.
This reference list has been generated, in many cases, through an automated process and may therefore contain errors or incomplete metadata. It is provided purely as assistance for finding the items mentioned within this post.
1. Fraser-Moore, Dorian, ‘Working round email from Hotmail/Live/MSN failing to be delivered’, dorian f moore <http://www.dorianmoore.com/works/6318/working-round-hotmail-live-msn-email-failing-to-deliver-email>
2. IETF RFC 2821 SMTP protocol specification <https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt>
3. Partridge, Dr. Craig, ‘RFC 974: Mail routing and the domain system’, IETF Datatracker <https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc974>
http://www.dorianmoore.com/works/6318/working-round-hotmail-live-msn-email-failing-to-deliver-email
https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc974