Question Bug with emails - not with Joomla settings

Hello,

I'm having an issue with Kunena where the email is sending with PHP mail rather than what is configured in the settings which is SMTP with SendGrid.

I'm on the latest version of Kunena and Joomla and I have no idea how to fix this issue.

If anyone can offer some suggestions or help, please do.

Thanks!

Bumping this post!
Still having problems.

How do you know that Kunena is sending via phpmail?

My understanding is that Joomla opens the initial connection and then Kunena sends via that? That configuration in Joomla has the account that opens that connection and whether smtp or phpmail. (Even when it is set to phpmail if on shared hosting, or similar, the hosting company normally redirect to their own smtp gateway.) In fact that is how all the extensions I have come across work. So even though the email purports to come from kunena@domain in fact it will go out via admin_name_chosen smtp or phpmail as configured.

The headers/sending IP is different on the emails.

So, for most of the forum emails, it is working correctly and using the emails are coming from SendGrid like they should.

However, on the "report" feature on the forums, emails are being sent with the web host via PHP Mail rather than the settings that Joomla has configured which should be sending emails with SendGrid.

I can send some header text from the emails if that will help as well?

That would help.

Are you on shared hosting so that the emails are going out/in via their smtp servers?

You mention SendGrid which is a bulk mailing operation does all your mail go via them then?

Is the domain for sending via Kunena the same that opens the Joomla connection?

I mentioned earlier that all the webhosting companies I have had dealings don't actually use phpmail even when your configuration is setup to do that. (phpmail is a big security risk, open to spoofing, and cannot be set up for DMARC, etc so will often be rejected.) The difference in IP addresses may reflect this. Many hosting companies pass of the actual operation of the mail to specialists companies.

I think you need to give a more detailed information on how your configuration is within Kunena, Joomla, your server/webhost.

All kunena mails are send by the joomla email integration.
If the mails are going to the spam folder ect, then you need to recheck your dns setttings, like the spf ect.

Also you can be on a black list, because sending to much emails at once.

Hey guys, sorry for my late reply on this.
Anyways, allow me to clarify and show more of what I mean is going on.

We use SendGrid SMTP for all emails on the site, but the site appears to be sending only the "report" emails via SiteGround (our web host) instead of SendGrid as the headers show based on IP address. I'll provide the email headers below.

This is a normal email that was sent as a moderator notification: pastebin.com/tSp7ZZQZ
This is an email that was sent with the "report" feature: pastebin.com/n8J6acsg

You can see that the report email is being sent via a SiteGround IP rather than through what is configured in the settings and is being done in the other emails. Here's some screenshots of the settings:
screencast.com/t/MGUAvIgeq
screencast.com/t/BrGyYMXllPTd

So, again, I'm not sure why all other emails on the site are being sent with what's in the settings, but only the "report post" emails are being sent via PHP mail rather than what is configured in the settings.

Let me know if you need some more code or have questions of what I mean.

Thanks!

I think you will need to send both headers and not just one so that they can be compared. Whatever is set up in the Joomla Global configuration should be the route taken for email so I assume that you have set up Sendgrid there with your email login details at Sendgrid. if that is how it works. The mail configuration link you sent has nothing to do with it in reality as all that does is, as it says for testing, either forward the mail to Joomla or drop it. Most extensions work this way. Mail will go out via whatever you set up in Joomla, though the email address may look different as that ability is part of many extensions.

From the header that you linked I can see that Google is the mail exchange, that mailgun is the most used and is the sender. However I don't know if mailgun is used by Siteground or Sendgrid. The IP address, (198.61.254.4) relates to Rackspace so that could be spaced rented by SG or Sendgrid. Mailgun, who work with developers for mail delivery, partners with Rackspace. I don't know if SG use them via Rackspace or Sendgrid via Rackspace. However later on you will find a received instance from 37.60.233.28 and that is a Siteground IP.

Incidentally SG did use an outside organisation for mail handling though in my days of dealing with them from memory it wasn't Mailgun, however that was in Europe and you are using the USA end . Have you discussed this with both SG and Sendgrid? It may be useful to state how you use Sendgrid, configure it, and how it operates. I have never used it. From Sendgrid's website they indicate that they supply an API to improve your mail. It could be that you are using the same domain for both SG and Sendgrid, or somethign similar and the two are getting confused. Another thing that comes into this is your DKIM and SPF that from the header this is set up to only use one route, which of course would be correct if set to only go via one route.

Hey,

What do you mean about the headers? I did indeed send both of the headers. The first Pastebin link is the header of the emails that are being sent normally. Everything in Joomla and Kunena except the "report post" feature is sending emails this way. The second Pastebin link is the header of the email that is of the "report post" email. You can obviously see where this does not match the other header and is being sent via PHP Mail (SiteGround IP) rather than SendGrid's IP.

I also sent the screenshots of Joomla's configured settings to show that everything is configured to go through SMTP SendGrid and not PHP Mail, which is what is happening on that second email, hence why it is being sent with a SiteGround IP and being marked as spam by the end client inbox.

This seems to be an issue with Kunena and not the hosts/APIs. However, if you have something you can recommend me saying to them, I could try to ask them about it?

Thanks.

Hey,
I'm still having this issue; just bumping this topic.
Thanks!