Gmail Not Accepting Mail from New Server – Troubleshooting PTR Records

gmailptr-record

I am setting up a new server and discovered that Gmail does not accept emails from this server.

I checked Exim logfiles and found the following:

Our system has detected that this\n550-5.7.1 message does not meet IPv6 sending guidelines regarding PTR records\n550-5.7.1 and authentication.
Please review\n550 5.7.1 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126 for more information. om7si10023450wjc.42 - gsmtp

My server has IP4 and IPv6 ip addresses. I have added SPF records for both IP4 and IPv6 IP addresses. The only thing is that I don't have PTR records yet (my data center does not allow to add PTR records if A record does not point to the same server). So, I will PTR records later when I move websites to the new server.

My question: is it possible that Gmail does not accept emails just because I don't have PTR records? All email providers in similar situations just put emails in Spam or Bulk mail folders. Gmail does not accept mails at all?

Best Answer

Here is the text from google's help page:

Additional guidelines for IPv6

  • The sending IP must have a PTR record (i.e., a reverse DNS of the sending IP) and it should match the IP obtained via the forward DNS resolution of the hostname specified in the PTR record. Otherwise, mail will be marked as spam or possibly rejected.
  • The sending domain should pass either SPF check or DKIM check. Otherwise, mail might be marked as spam.

So, yes, if you use IPv6 to deliver your mail to Google, you MUST have a PTR matching the sending's system IPv6 address.

If you really can't create a PTR for your IPv6 address (which seems weird to me), the solution is to either disable IPv6 completely or to setup your main server to prefer IPv4 for outgoing connections. Don't forget to change the SPF record as well if you do that.

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