IMAP server timeout

[Donald]

I run Win 7 and Windows Live Mail. My GMAIL is setup for IMAP as is my Live Mail. I was getting these IMAP timeout msgs for 60 seconds, so I bumped it to 5 minutes and still get them. Yet my mail seems to work OK, and I am sure I am not loosing internet connectivity for 5 minutes at a clip.

 

[dparm]

Not sure how savvy you are, but I would run Wireshark while this happens.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Donald
My GMAIL is setup for IMAP as is my Live Mail.

Why? what happens if you set them to POP3?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Donald, I suggest changing your DNS servers in your IP settings of your computer. Use the IP's of OpenDNS
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Reboot, try again.

This isn't a cure-all, but it did help me in a similar situation with mail taking to long to respond.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Donald
My GMAIL is setup for IMAP as is my Live Mail.

Why? what happens if you set them to POP3?


IMAP is a better way of handling mail especially if you get your mail from various devices. (Smartphone, tablet, PC).

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Donald
My GMAIL is setup for IMAP as is my Live Mail.

Why? what happens if you set them to POP3?


IMAP is a better way of handling mail especially if you get your mail from various devices. (Smartphone, tablet, PC).

+1 to what Donald said.

On my home computer I use Outlook. I then have an iPhone and use it's native Mail app. And when I'm at work or someplace, I use my provider's web-based application. No matter where I'm at or what device I'm using, I have access to a single, consistent set of messages. IMAP is the enabler; that wouldn't be possible with POP3.

RE: the OP's issue, I have a similar one with my wife's e-mail on our home computer. If she leaves Outlook open for an extended period of time, she'll return to a a Microsoft Outlook error stating "Your IMAP server closed the connection." Oddly enough, if I do the same, no message. And we both use the same mail provider.

 

[SrDriver]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Donald, I suggest changing your DNS servers in your IP settings of your computer. Use the IP's of OpenDNS
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Reboot, try again.

This isn't a cure-all, but it did help me in a similar situation with mail taking to long to respond.


I recommend that you use Norton DNS. Free for home use. See link below.

Link To Norton DNS

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
I recommend that you use Norton DNS. Free for home use. See link below.

Link To Norton DNS


Looks interesting! You can select from three levels of protection and simply update the DNS IPs in your router. Nothing to sign up for; no software to download/install.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Donald, I suggest changing your DNS servers in your IP settings of your computer. Use the IP's of OpenDNS
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Reboot, try again.

This isn't a cure-all, but it did help me in a similar situation with mail taking to long to respond.


I recommend that you use Norton DNS. Free for home use. See link below.

Link To Norton DNS





Excellent tip, thank you!

 

[dparm]

I am not a fan of OpenDNS since they intercept certain DNS queries and redirect you. There are other public DNS boxes that don't do this, FWIW.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dparm
I am not a fan of OpenDNS since they intercept certain DNS queries and redirect you. There are other public DNS boxes that don't do this, FWIW.


I find some of their redirects, particularly the ones related to malicious URL's very useful at particular sites I manage, FWIW.

 

[dparm]

No argument that there is some value in it, but I just don't like the interception in general. As a very technical person to begin with, I don't need that stuff. I use DNSbench to find the fastest local server to me (that supports DNSSEC).

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: dparm
No argument that there is some value in it, but I just don't like the interception in general.

I agree with you, but aren't most residential internet services intercepting anyway? My cable internet service is through EarthLink and if something isn't found, I would get an EarthLink-branded Yahoo! search suggestions page. I believe my family members' Comcast and Time Warner services do that same.

 

[dparm]

Comcast does not do that.

 

[barlowc]

Interesting...

Yesterday, I switched my router's DNS settings to the IPs provided by Norton ConnectSafe, to see if there were any difference. Since the switch, I have not received the IMAP timeouts, which could just be coincidence.

This evening, while poking around on the Castrol USA website, I ran across a page where Norton ConnectSafe blocked content and showed a message stating, "This is a known malicious web site. It is recommended that you do NOT visit this site. This site points to castrolsyntec.cache.peer1.net, which is malicious." Isn't that just a harmless Content Delivery Network?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dparm
No argument that there is some value in it, but I just don't like the interception in general. As a very technical person to begin with, I don't need that stuff. I use DNSbench to find the fastest local server to me (that supports DNSSEC).


You know, I'm a slightly technical person myself

But I still leverage OpenDNS in many of the environments I manage because of the security advantages it offers for the average end-user. Similar to Norton's offering.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: barlowc

This evening, while poking around on the Castrol USA website, I ran across a page where Norton ConnectSafe blocked content and showed a message stating, "This is a known malicious web site. It is recommended that you do NOT visit this site. This site points to castrolsyntec.cache.peer1.net, which is malicious." Isn't that just a harmless Content Delivery Network?


Peer1 is a colo provider IIRC. They're probably just doing something weird/fishy with site certificates and redirects that Norton doesn't like.

I've also seen it happen in Chrome/Firefox if there's a compromised site(s) or ad provider on that domain with malware. For some reason they blacklist the whole domain.