Solved linux.org forum mails seems to be delivered with a delay

Solved issue

f33dm3bits

Gold Member
Gold Supporter
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Messages
7,893
Reaction score
6,290
Credits
57,915
@Rob
Since a couple of days, I have started to notice that the notification mails for forums topics have been arriving with a delay from anywhere between an hour to several hours. I actually tested sending from Outlook and Gmail, mails sent from those domains are delivered instantly. I was able to check this because I run my own mail server to host mail for my own domain. So in short this problem seems to be related to the mail service linux.org uses which is SendGrid, I did come across this which is from a couple days ago.


I can't test if the same happens when receiving on an email address hosted by Gmail our Outook, maybe other users here on the forum can can confirm that or if more people have noticed that? Maybe @wizardfromoz @KGIII @Condobloke @osprey have noticed this since a couple of days as well?


It's not a huge problem but I was wondering if you could look into this with support at Sendgrid if more users here have been noticing that?
 
Last edited:


I think there's something wrong with the mailer.

I haven't yet made a post about it. I use 2FA via email. To login, I enter my password and it sends a code to my email. I enter that code and I can log in.

I've been getting a half-dozen of those codes sent to me every day.

No. Nobody guessed my password. It's quite complicated. Not even I remember my password. We had a security incident some time ago (nothing to do with me, as the compromise was much higher up) which is why I think all of us with elevated forum accounts are using some form of 2FA/MFA.
 
I think there's something wrong with the mailer.
The mailer, as in SendGrid or some setting within the forums that you are referring to or did the forum software recently have an update? For example your reply to this topic was at yesterday(February 9th) at 11:25 PM (my local time), while the notification mail about it didn't arrive until today(February 10th) at 05:45 AM (my local time).
 
For example your reply to this topic was at yesterday(February 9th) at 11:25 PM (my local time), while the notification mail about it didn't arrive until today(February 10th) at 05:45 AM (my local time).
I just checked the mail headers and I see the following.
1. Mail received by the mailserver linux.org delivers it's mail to: February 9th on 23:45:03
2. Mail received by some unknown mailserver, probably an internal Sendgrid mailserver: On February 10th at 04:45:04
3. Mail received by some unknown mailserver, probably another internal Sendgrid mailserver: On February 10th at 04:45:04.
4. Mail received by my mailserver from a Sendgrid mailserver with a public ip: On February 10th at 05:45:06.

So it looks like the first mailserver that linux.org delivers mail to holds the mail for several hours before sending it to the next mailserver. The first internal Sendgrid mail seems to immediately transfer it the next internal Sendgrid mail server. Then finally an hour later the Sendgrid mail server with a public ip transfers the mail to my mailserver. So my best guess would be to find out why the first mailserver holds that mail for several hours instead of transferring it immediately.

I can provide mail-headers if that helps for helping @Rob troubleshoot this.
 
Last edited:
or did the forum software recently have an update?

That'd be my guess. It sends me the login confirmation email multiple times per day. (I should only need to verify the login once a month on this computer.)
 
That'd be my guess. It sends me the login confirmation email multiple times per day. (I should only need to verify the login once a month on this computer.)
Are you getting delayed forum emails as well, by that I mean when someone replies to a topic you are subscribed to? From the information I shared about the headers in that email, it seems like it's an Digital Ocean email server that holds the mail for several hours and then the Sendgrid mailserver holds it an hour before delivering it to my mailserver. Several days ago before this problem started occurring I would get those emails within minutes.
 
Are you getting delayed forum emails as well, by that I mean when someone replies to a topic you are subscribed to?

I checked and I don't appear to. I don't have it configured to send mail with most topics, so I only checked two and those appear to have arrived within 5 minutes of the user posting.
 
@Rob

I have also experienced delays. i have not kept notes concerning that, but it has drawn my attention.

On occasion, I have failed to receive emails at all. zero
I have received notifications which alerted me to the fact that a topic had an updated message to be seen

(initially I had a problem with notifications, which has been solved.)

This topic:https://www.linux.org/threads/how-to-find-and-disable-devices.48538/
was posted Monday at 9.49am
I received no email, no notification, ....It is in a forum which I watch.

Today, Sunday Feb11, 2024......I received emails up until 08:30am .......,nothing following that (by email).......yet I received notifications after that time.
In one topic alone https://www.linux.org/threads/timeshift-similar-solutions-safeguard-recover-your-linux.15241/page-30 .......there were 10 replies between 2:02pm and 3:55PM.....Not a single email......10 notifications.
member Aristarchus posted at 17:20 PM in https://www.linux.org/threads/need-...-no-official-linux-support.48513/#post-218937 ......notification Yes....Email...No

Yesterday afternoon I received a page full of emails all at the one time. I had already received them through the day

All arrived here at 3:45PM (15:45PM ) Feb 10th 2024

2024-02-10_17-37-png.18212




Something is amiss.
 
Last edited:
@Rob, I also checked the gmail app on my phone.....the same happening there as well...(zero emails from Linux.org)
 
Last edited:
I am getting the same thing notifications in alerts or new post showing in the new post page, but no mail notifications received.
 
todays oferring :

2024-02-11_19-11.png

All received at 19:10

I can open headers/sources and send if necessary
 
@Condobloke and @Brickwizard Cheers for replying to this topic as well. The email notifying me about Condobloke's first response arrived delayed as well. And I am now waiting for the email to the most recent responses of both Brickwizard and Condobloke.
 
Last edited:
Something is amiss.
I figured out what the times mean in the headers and I think I have it correct now. This is about the notification mail I got from @Condobloke's first response, when I convert the times it was passed to each mail server to Universal time I get this. I don't have the mail of the notification of the first reply @KGIII did but for the next replies that I receive I will do the same conversion again.
Mailserver1: 08:10:09
Mailserver2: 08:10:09.638
Mailserver3: 08:10:09.6958647
Mailserver4: 08:10:12
If I convert that time Condobloke replied on to this topic to Universal time that would be 06:00. Which would draw me to the conclusion that there was no delay on the mailservers but that the forum software sent the notifications mails delayed to the first mailserver.
I think there's something wrong with the mailer.
Which would make me agree with you that something is up with the forum software, the mailer or whatever is configured to send any form of mail.
 
Last edited:
Just had a fist full of e-mails, all timed at 1030 GMT[UTC] the oldest matches an alert timed at 08.38 and the newest at 10.12
 
If someone could reply one more time for me as test?
 
its 1934 GMT/UTC
 
Thanks @Brickwizard! That'll do, will just wait for the next two notification mails to arrive to check one more time.
 
testing testing, 1 2 3

Just an xtra 1 4 U

Time here: 06:46am Feb 12
 
Another weird thing;

I see a notification arrive



....notification arrives.....I click on the notification.....that click takes me direct to the site page where the message is....ie it opens the url

Prior to this crap happening, a click on the notification would open the email page for that message on my pc

I guess if I was to drink more grog it may help ?....!!
 
Last edited:


Top