Webshield interfering with internal smtp emails

[TheFoxRocks]

just setup webshield e250 inside our firewall before our Exchange 5.5 server.

All is working ok except for it is interfering with our production applications sending of emails.
These are programs written in Visual Foxpro 7, using blat.dll to send email via smtp.
( Also not working are system process batch file emails using mailto.exe which also uses smtp)
Both directly target the IP of our Exchange server, internally.

If I remove the Webshield from the loop, they work fine.

At first I thought that this was a constant problem for all PC's but during one test, when my send failed, I recieved a couple of application generated emails.

Thinking that my PC was perhaps in some way the problem I looked at what was different in my PC and only came up with switch port.

On switching to another port on another switch, mine succeeded with a send.
However, after a few sends, it once again failed.
When it fails it never works, on that port.
If I switch back to the original port it *usually* works again, once or maybe more, but sooner or later stops.

Thinking it possibly a switch problem I tried plugging into a 10MB dumb hub.
Again it sends for 1 or maybe more than fails.

McAfee has been getting me to run traces and dumps and change configs etc. for the last couple of months to no avail.

I am thinking of returning the appliance as it is not being entirely productive.

The message returned bt mailto is "error on connect"

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[AVChap]

This is probably a relaying problem as the appliance does not recognize the sender domain information of those applications.

AVChap
... WARNING: The Surgeon General says to take my advise at your own risk.

 

[TheFoxRocks]

I spent some time yesterday to further isolate whether it is ONLY my PC being affected or are there others.

My conclusion is that all others are not affected.
So your suggestion does not seem probable.

Yet if I bypass Webshield mine works.

It appears that if I reboot and DO NOT load Outlook 2000 that mine works even with Webshield.

My Outlook is interfering IN COMBINATION with Webshield.

If I log onto another PC and load Outlook, it works ok.

I am wondering if rules that I have placed on inbound email in my Outlook are causing the failure?

 

[TheFoxRocks]

I have discovered a workaround to this problem which I will try for a while.
Instead of using my Exchange server's IP for the internal emails I have successfully used the E250's which works every time, so far...

 

[FatesWebb]

what mode are you running the appliance? if it is transparent it is not supported and not a good idea to use the appliances ip as your mx record. you can use exclusions to fix the problems you mentioned, I would call or write nai, and ask about exclusions on the appliance, which requires a xml edit.

FW

FatesWebb

if you do what I suggested it is not my fault...

 

[TheFoxRocks]

yes, transparent mode.
The appliance is not the target IP for anyone except from my PC which is the only one that is having the problem.

You are right that if I switch my VFP apps to call blat.dll with the shield's IP as the SMTP server it does not work, for them.

It does for my PC though.

Truly bizarre...

To resolve I simply do a lookup in the send method checking if the workstation name is one that should use the shield's address.

It is working, but it would be nice to not have to deal with the problem

rr