Email Outages and MySQL slowdowns

[vonbrocklin]

Does email generated from a PHP script ever travel through mail/mail1, or does it go right out from the webserver via localhost?

I ask because it is my ongoing experience that all three mySql servers have very frequent episodes where they practically grind to a halt. mysql2 just got finished with one moments ago, where it was taking 30 seconds or more to generate a page out of the DB. This happens with disturbing frequency on all of my db-driven websites at Vortech, regardless of which mysql server they are on. (Although some seem better than others.)

So I am wondering if there is any connection:

1. Spammer sends out 30,000 emails via a PHP script

2. mysql grinds to halt as it churns out the messages

3. mail1 gets overloaded sending them out

4. Vortech has trouble finding spammer because spammer is actually a PHP script

Maybe I'm all wet and mail from a PHP script never touches the actual mail servers, but man, I would desperately like to find a permanent solution for these two problems. Email outages and having mysql bog down are by FAR my biggest complaints about Vortech, and they seem to be ongoing problems that never quite get fixed.

[vonbrocklin]

Also, in regards to the SPAM overloads: why is it ALWAYS mail1? It does not seem right, unless:

a) it is the same SPAMMER who has been here for a long-time on mail1, covertly subverting your attempts to squish him

or

b) all SPAMMERs magically end up with accounts that use mail1...

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I have been a long suffering user of mail1 and it seems like 99% of all forum postings regarding the mail server outages are regarding SPAM clogging up mail1. This does not seem possible.

[Brangwyn]

mail1 being one of the longer established mailservers probably has more accounts on it than some of the others so the chance of an issue may be a little greater.

$0.02

PHP uses localhost, so no, it shouldnt go through mail1, and if it did, that would be fairly easy to catch.

I think there was a combination of people sending bulk mail with bad addresses. I found one list with over 1000 subscribers where a large percentage failed to send/deferred/etc. We've badmail'ed most of these domains and are only reenabling their email when they curve their mass-mailing ways.

I also believe there might be a slight issue with one of the Hard drives (which we plan to replace soon anyway with a larger drive to enable people storing mail for >30days). I moved the queue from one of the HD to the other and that also seemed to help...

[Brangwyn]

Great proactive stuff there Matt

[gadgetgal99]

Go Matt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!