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Limiting outgoing mail in Plesk 12.5

Last updated on Sep 26,2024 |

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EOL, Server Configuration & Management, Plesk

by A.H Ezam

Introduction

Hosting providers often impose restrictions on the number of outgoing email messages per hour to limit spam or ensure fair resource usage. These limits can be applied to various levels such as subscriptions, domains, or individual mailboxes. By default, the hosting provider sets these limits, but they can be adjusted as needed.

There are several reasons you might want to change the default limits. For example, increasing the limit allows for more outgoing emails, which can be beneficial for marketing or communication campaigns. On the other hand, reducing the limit may help prevent accidental mass emails or potential abuse from compromised accounts.

The limits work in a hierarchical structure. If a parent object, such as a subscription, has a set limit, all child objects (such as domains or mailboxes) under that subscription share this limit. Understanding how these limits interact is crucial for managing email flow effectively:

The sum of all outgoing messages from all domains under a subscription cannot exceed the subscription’s limit.
The sum of all outgoing messages from mailboxes under a domain cannot exceed that domain’s limit.

Important Note: The parent object’s limit takes precedence over individual child object limits. For instance, if a subscription reaches its maximum outgoing email limit, none of the domains under that subscription can send emails, even if some domains have not yet reached their individual limits. The same applies to domains and their respective mailboxes.

Note: The options and limits described in this guide are only available if outgoing mail limitations have been enabled by your hosting provider. Furthermore, certain limits might not be accessible depending on the mail server used in Plesk.

Prerequisites

Plesk is installed and running.
You have administrative access to the Plesk control panel.
The hosting provider has enabled outgoing email limitations.
Permissions to manage mail settings are granted.

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Setting Limits on Outgoing Emails for a Domain

Log in to the Plesk control panel.
Navigate to Mail and select the Mail Settings tab.
Use the checkboxes to select one or more domains for which you want to change the outgoing email limit.
Click on Limit Outgoing Messages located in the toolbar.
Edit the Limit on the outgoing messages field to specify the new limit.

Step 2: Setting Limits on Outgoing Emails for a Mailbox

From the Plesk control panel, go to Websites & Domains.
Select the Mail Settings of the domain where the mailbox belongs.
Go to the Email Addresses tab.
Use the checkboxes to select one or more email addresses for which you want to change the outgoing email limit.
Click on Limit Outgoing Messages in the toolbar.
Edit the Limit on the outgoing messages field to adjust the limit as needed.

Alternative Method: You can also click on the specific email address and modify the Maximum number of outgoing email messages directly.

Step 3: Viewing and Editing Limits for Subscriptions

In the Plesk control panel, go to Websites & Domains.
Click on Outgoing Mail Control to access detailed statistics and modify limits.

Alternatively, follow these steps:

Go to Websites & Domains > Mail Settings of the main domain.
Select the Outgoing Mail Control tab and click on the Outgoing Mail Control link.

Here, you can view the following:

The General tab displays the number of Plesk objects that have attempted to exceed their email limits.
To see more details about a specific Plesk object, navigate to the relevant tab (e.g., Email Addresses, Domains, or Subscriptions), click on the required object, and view the report titled Attempts to send mail after reaching the limit.

Additionally, the Sent messages section provides daily per-hour statistics, showing the number of excessive email attempts made by each Plesk object for a given day.

Conclusion

Managing outgoing email limits in Plesk ensures that email traffic remains controlled and prevents overuse of resources. By setting appropriate limits at the domain, mailbox, and subscription levels, you can mitigate the risk of spam and maintain smooth email operations.

For more detailed insights, you can monitor email usage through the outgoing mail control features in Plesk. Adjusting these settings appropriately helps align email traffic with business needs and server capacity.

Should you have any inquiries about the guidelines, please feel free to open a ticket through your portal account or contact us at support@ipserverone.com. We’ll be happy to assist you further.