I've got Postfix setup on a new Ubuntu 24.04 server. If I telnet to it locally it responds with the SMTP banner as expected. If I telnet to it from an external source though it opens the port and then does nothing i.e. I get a blank screen and a "452 syntax error(connecting)" error for any command I send. Obviously it is not a firewall issue as postfix answers, it just seems to not want to service requests from the external network.
I have checked and double checked all of the configuartion, restarted services and even restarted the machine. I'm at a loss as to what may be causing this issue.
/etc/postfix/main.cf
smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
biff = no
append_dot_mydomain = no
readme_directory = no
compatibility_level = 3.6
# TLS parameters
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/nginx/ssl/************/2275563/server.crt
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/nginx/ssl/************/2275563/server.key
smtpd_tls_security_level = may
smtp_tls_CApath=/etc/ssl/certs
smtp_tls_security_level = may
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
myhostname = ************
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
myorigin = /etc/mailname
mydestination = virtuallyanything.com, $myhostname, svr-virtuallyanything.localdomain, localhost.localdomain, localhost
relayhost = smtp.postmarkapp.com:2525
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
mailbox_command = procmail -a "$EXTENSION"
mailbox_size_limit = 0
recipient_delimiter = +
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
virtual_mailbox_domains = pgsql:/etc/postfix/sql/pgsql_virtual_domains_maps.cf
virtual_alias_maps = pgsql:/etc/postfix/sql/pgsql_virtual_alias_maps.cf, pgsql:/etc/postfix/sql/pgsql_virtual_alias_dom>
virtual_mailbox_maps = pgsql:/etc/postfix/sql/pgsql_virtual_mailbox_maps.cf, pgsql:/etc/postfix/sql/pgsql_virtual_alias>
virtual_transport = lmtp:unix:private/dovecot-lmtp
smtp_tls_note_starttls_offer = yes
smtpd_tls_loglevel = 1
smtpd_tls_received_header = yes
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
smtpd_sasl_local_domain =
smtpd_sasl_security_options = noanonymous
broken_sasl_auth_clients = yes
smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtpd_recipient_restrictions = permit_sasl_authenticated,permit_mynetworks,reject_unauth_destination
milter_protocol = 6
milter_mail_macros = i {mail_addr} {client_addr} {client_name} {auth_authen}
milter_default_action = accept
smtpd_milters = inet:127.0.0.1:11332
non_smtpd_milters = inet:127.0.0.1:11332
/etc/postfix/master.cf
#
# Postfix master process configuration file. For details on the format
# of the file, see the master(5) manual page (command: "man 5 master" or
# on-line: http://www.postfix.org/master.5.html).
#
# Do not forget to execute "postfix reload" after editing this file.
#
# ==========================================================================
# service type private unpriv chroot wakeup maxproc command + args
# (yes) (yes) (no) (never) (100)
# ==========================================================================
smtp inet n - y - - smtpd -v
#smtp inet n - y - 1 postscreen
#smtpd pass - - y - - smtpd
#dnsblog unix - - y - 0 dnsblog
#tlsproxy unix - - y - 0 tlsproxy
#127.0.0.1:submission inet n - y - - smtpd
#submission inet n - y - - smtpd
-o syslog_name=postfix/submission
-o smtpd_tls_security_level=encrypt
-o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
# -o smtpd_tls_auth_only=yes
# -o local_header_rewrite_clients=static:all
# -o smtpd_reject_unlisted_recipient=no
# Instead of specifying complex smtpd_<xxx>_restrictions here,
# specify "smtpd_<xxx>_restrictions=$mua_<xxx>_restrictions"
# here, and specify mua_<xxx>_restrictions in main.cf (where
# "<xxx>" is "client", "helo", "sender", "relay", or "recipient").
-o smtpd_client_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
# -o smtpd_helo_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_relay_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
# -o smtpd_helo_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_relay_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
-o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
# Choose one: enable submissions for loopback clients only, or for any client.
#127.0.0.1:submissions inet n - y - - smtpd
#submissions inet n - y - - smtpd
# -o syslog_name=postfix/submissions
# -o smtpd_tls_wrappermode=yes
# -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
# -o local_header_rewrite_clients=static:all
# -o smtpd_reject_unlisted_recipient=no
# Instead of specifying complex smtpd_<xxx>_restrictions here,
# specify "smtpd_<xxx>_restrictions=$mua_<xxx>_restrictions"
# here, and specify mua_<xxx>_restrictions in main.cf (where
# "<xxx>" is "client", "helo", "sender", "relay", or "recipient").
# -o smtpd_client_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_helo_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_relay_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
# -o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
#628 inet n - y - - qmqpd
pickup unix n - y 60 1 pickup
cleanup unix n - y - 0 cleanup
qmgr unix n - n 300 1 qmgr
#qmgr unix n - n 300 1 oqmgr
tlsmgr unix - - y 1000? 1 tlsmgr
rewrite unix - - y - - trivial-rewrite
bounce unix - - y - 0 bounce
defer unix - - y - 0 bounce
trace unix - - y - 0 bounce
verify unix - - y - 1 verify
flush unix n - y 1000? 0 flush
proxymap unix - - n - - proxymap
proxywrite unix - - n - 1 proxymap
smtp unix - - y - - smtp
relay unix - - y - - smtp
-o syslog_name=postfix/$service_name
# -o smtp_helo_timeout=5 -o smtp_connect_timeout=5
showq unix n - y - - showq
error unix - - y - - error
retry unix - - y - - error
discard unix - - y - - discard
local unix - n n - - local
virtual unix - n n - - virtual
lmtp unix - - y - - lmtp
anvil unix - - y - 1 anvil
scache unix - - y - 1 scache
postlog unix-dgram n - n - 1 postlogd
#
# ====================================================================
# Interfaces to non-Postfix software. Be sure to examine the manual
# pages of the non-Postfix software to find out what options it wants.
#
# Many of the following services use the Postfix pipe(8) delivery
# agent. See the pipe(8) man page for information about ${recipient}
# and other message envelope options.
# ====================================================================
#
# maildrop. See the Postfix MAILDROP_README file for details.
# Also specify in main.cf: maildrop_destination_recipient_limit=1
#
#maildrop unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=DRXhu user=vmail argv=/usr/bin/maildrop -d ${recipient}
#
# ====================================================================
#
# Recent Cyrus versions can use the existing "lmtp" master.cf entry.
#
# Specify in cyrus.conf:
# lmtp cmd="lmtpd -a" listen="localhost:lmtp" proto=tcp4
#
# Specify in main.cf one or more of the following:
# mailbox_transport = lmtp:inet:localhost
# virtual_transport = lmtp:inet:localhost
#
# ====================================================================
#
# Cyrus 2.1.5 (Amos Gouaux)
# Also specify in main.cf: cyrus_destination_recipient_limit=1
#
#cyrus unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=DRX user=cyrus argv=/cyrus/bin/deliver -e -r ${sender} -m ${extension} ${user}
#
# ====================================================================
#
# Old example of delivery via Cyrus.
#
#old-cyrus unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=R user=cyrus argv=/cyrus/bin/deliver -e -m ${extension} ${user}
#
# ====================================================================
#
# See the Postfix UUCP_README file for configuration details.
#
uucp unix - n n - - pipe
flags=Fqhu user=uucp argv=uux -r -n -z -a$sender - $nexthop!rmail ($recipient)#
# Other external delivery methods.
#
#ifmail unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=F user=ftn argv=/usr/lib/ifmail/ifmail -r $nexthop ($recipient)
#bsmtp unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=Fq. user=bsmtp argv=/usr/lib/bsmtp/bsmtp -t$nexthop -f$sender $recipient
#scalemail-backend unix - n n - 2 pipe
# flags=R user=scalemail argv=/usr/lib/scalemail/bin/scalemail-store ${nexthop} ${user} ${extension}
#mailman unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=FRX user=list argv=/usr/lib/mailman/bin/postfix-to-mailman.py ${nexthop} ${user}
I had the firwall set to allow both IPv6 and IPv4 connections but Postfix was only configured to accept IPv4. So my remote connection was attempting to connect via IPv6 and not being answered by postfix.