Problems sending newsletters

[Forumtastic]

I have two separate SMF forums on the same machine.

One of the forums has about 3400 members and sending out a newsletter (PM and emails) takes about 35 minutes.

The other forum has about 4800 members and sending out a newsletter (PM and emails) takes about 3 hours.

Both are running the same version, the same code, the same themes, are on the same machine, using the same email server, with the same newsletter, etc.

Is there any idea why the second server takes so so long to send out the same newsletter? It's completely disproportionate.

I'm afraid to even touch the machine during the process in fear that one page refresh not working correctly, and my mailout fails while only sending out a partial mailing (which has happened).

1) How do we account for the discrepancy in time. It appears way out of proportion and how could that be explained?

2) Is there any change we can make to make the two forums process the newsletters in proportion to each other?

3) I do know that a certain number of people are processed, then the screen refreshes using a javascript timer, and so on. Is there any way to change the refresh time or the number of members processed between each refresh?

[MrPhil]

Same machine? Same SMF version? Same mods? Are you sending at the same time from the two forums? Does your host impose any email sending rate caps (mails per minute, per hour, per day)? In the first case, you're sending about 6500 per hour, which is way beyond what most hosts will tolerate (ca. 300 per hour). In the second case, it's 1600 per hour, which is still beyond most limits. Have you checked the email sending rate configuration for the two forums? Maybe they ended up different. Most importantly, are you sure that all these mailings are actually getting out to recipients? SMF and/or your host isn't deep-sixing most of them?

[Forumtastic]

Thank you for your super quick reply! Nice.

Same mods. Same SMF version. And there is no limit or cap on bandwidth from my host.

We have our own mail server (and database server) - nothing is shared. I set it all up myself on some beastly linux boxes and decades of admin experience.

I have verified that members are getting the emails, and I have also combed through the logs. We have, roughly, about the same ratio of invalid email addresses that bounce back for each forum and mail-out.

Also, I don't want to miss that last question if possible: "Is there any way to change the refresh time or the number of members processed between each refresh?"

Have you checked the email sending rate configuration for the two forums?

How do I do that? Where is that setting?

Thank you so much for your help. I really hope I can figure this out.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Admin -> Mail -> Settings

[Forumtastic]

I went to Admin. Then I clicked on Maintenance -> Mail... -> Settings

Both forums are identical.

Enable Mail Queue is not checked.
Maximum emails to send per minute is set to 0.
Maximum amount of emails to send per page load is set to 0.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Those are default settings, shouldn't be any difference between the two forums if they're set the same.

There's also this, which was just reported, but doesn't look like your problem.

[Forumtastic]

If I turn on the Mail Queue, what would you recommend for the "Maximum emails to send per minute" and "Maximum amount of emails to send per page load" settings?

Does zero for those two settings mean there is no limit?

Also, it says per page load. When are emails sent when using the queue? Do you have to have the page up refreshing or does this happen in the background somehow?

[Arantor]

What happens is that if there are items in the queue, there's an async request made - the forum adds a request for a 1x1 image in an img tag, which really calls the mail queue handler.

[Forumtastic]

Thanks Arantor. Ok, so in order to send out the emails, I still need to stay logged in and on that queue page? Or does it matter?

Also, "Maximum emails to send per minute" and "Maximum amount of emails to send per page load" settings, what does 0 do? It's the default setting.

[Arantor]

No, you don't, that's the point.

Once they get moved to the queue - which happens much more quickly than the normal process - any page view by any user will interrogate the queue and deal with sending onwards, it's all handled in the background as if by magic.

It should mean that you are able to get everything into the queue before the admin period runs out.