Topic: setting up the email server

[jock]

I am working on a dynamic ip that is being rerouted. I am having trouble getting sme to send and receive email. Any suggestions?

[Trashman]

More detail, more detail, rerouted how? what type of problem? post some logs...

[jock]

I use the anydyns service to reroute my domain name to my ip address which is dynamic. I have my server behind a router. No problem seeing the webpage, or running the php script. However, can't seem to get the email system to work. I have done some googling and haven't been able to find a solution. As you can tell I am a newbie at this. Always used FrontPage and had my site hosted through the Dept. of Ed.

[janet]

jock

I'll assume your router has a dynamic dns client in it, and is updating the IP for that domain as required.

Alternatively you could install the ddclient contrib on sme server to manage the dynamic IP changes and update your external DNS records.

You would also need to port forward the mail ports from the router to sme server.

I'd also check that you dynamic ISP service does actually allow the use of a mail server ie they do not block mail ports eg 25

To check if the sme server mail configuration is OK, send an email to a local address and see if it is received.

[jock]

Thanks Mary. I tried the local email trick and it failed so I have something out of wack on that but can't figure out just what it is.

[janet]

jock

Have you read the setup instructions in the manual ?
You may easily have overlooked something basic.
http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server:Documentation

The mail server is functional on most default installations.
You do need to enable webmail in server manager.

Can you access server manager using https:/smeserverlocalIP/server-manager ?

Can you access webmail ie using https://localsmeserevrIP/webmail ?

Rather than just saying it doesn't work, tell us what you have done, what settings you use, what settings are in your email program, how your network is setup etc and what, if any, error messages you receive.

[jock]

Mary, I have read the set and followed through step by step. I have made sure that my router is functional. As I said I can access the ibay that my website is on and can access other ibays that are linked and set behind a password. I have enabled ports 25 & 26 on my router. I can not send or recieve email through horde to an outside address but can sent it to myself. I set up all of the users and ibays through https:/smeserverlocalIP/server-manager. I have set pop3 & imap to allow private & public and to allow https. The retrival mode is set smtp. I have set the user's email delivery to be both locally and forwarded.

I am using everydns to reroute my domain to my dynamic ip address. That part is accessable and functions as it should.
I am getting no error messages and it appears that the email is sent. I send myself an email from my isp account and it is not bounced back nor am I notified that it is undeliverable.
I know that it is likely something small that I have missed but can't figure it out. As I said earlier I am used to having the site hosted on a machine that is FrontPage friendly and am now doing it myself.

I appreciate the help and am learning what questions to ask and what information to provide as you give me feedback. I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to know the right questions.
 

Any other questions I should be asking? Any place else I should be looking?

[jock]

Mary, I also checked the domain dns server and it is set to resolve locally.

[christian]

just flying though... but it looks like you may have an issue with your service provider requireing authentication when you send email. It may be intercepting port 25 and rejecting email not from an authenticated user.

My ISP for example requires that I send email through a known account and I have to proxy with a username and password.

They also check that my FROM address is within the list of email addresses I have added in my mail options list.

As I recall the relevant parameter is in the configuration database and is called "smtp-auth-proxy"

you would have to add the right parameters and enable the service.

check with your ISP and see if this is required. If it is, I will look tomorrow to see if I can find the parameters. no time tonight.

[janet]

jock

In server manager there is a View log files panel. Use it to read the qpsmtp & qmail logs to see what is happening with the email message you send and (supposedly) receive. Look at the times you send messages to follow the progress of a message.

It may be a good idea to do a port scan at www.grc.com to see if your ISP has port 25 & others open.
Many dynamic IP ISP connections do block mail servers & ports.

Another point to remember is that many external mail servers will reject messages coming from mail servers on dynamic IP's, so you need to send mail via your ISP's smtp server, you can set that in the server manager Email panel eg mail.isp.com. You can also set smtp authentication (if needed) in the same area, as per previous posters suggestion.

The other thing to look for is if your server is rejecting incoming messages based on overzealous RBL rules. Did you enable any when setting up sme, the default settings can be quite aggressive, and there were a couple of lists removed recently, which if still included will cause your server not to receive any mail at all.

To review the RBL settings log in as root & do

config show qpsmtpd
and see the FAQ (linked at top of forums)

When behind a router your sme should be set in server only mode, is that what you have done ?

[janet]

jock

I am using everydns to reroute my domain to my dynamic ip address.

Is there a mail (MX) record setup for that also ?

[christian]

Another point to remember is that many external mail servers will reject messages coming from mail servers on dynamic IP's, so you need to send mail via your ISP's smtp server, you can set that in the server manager Email panel eg mail.isp.com. You can also set smtp authentication (if needed) in the same area, as per previous posters suggestion.

Correct. I had forgotten this was added in SME 7. You can tell how long ago I may have done it.

In general it seems email is working on the server and you have domain redirection working.

I agree with Mary that you should double check what she identified (including the MX record at your domain hoster).

But given neither inbound nor outbound mail is working from your PC client other than when it is to someone else on the server, it seems possible something else on your LAN or ISP is intercepting this.

What happens when your PC client tries to retrieve email directly from an external POP? What happens if the PC client tries to send directly via your ISPs SMTP server?

Do you have any other devices besides your client PCs, SME server, and Router?

What type of router is it? Does it understand email as an application? If something else understands email it may be intercepting it. Your port forwarding would affect inbound but not outbound email. But outbound email can be intercepted.

Is SME run as "server only".

Is your router IP address set as the default gateway for your SME?

If you are sure you have everything set properly and double checked, then you will need to isolate the issue. Determine if email is getting to your router, if it is being received at all by SME. You will find it but the trick is to figure out where the messages are being lost.

[CharlieBrady]

Is there a mail (MX) record setup for that also ?

MX records are not required. Of course, if they do exist, they need to be set correctly.

[CharlieBrady]

I am having trouble getting sme to send and receive email.

Sending and receiving email are separate functions. You need to investigate each individually.

If SME server does not send mail, you need to examine the qmail logs to see what happens when it tries. Most commonly problems can be solved by sending via your ISP's mail server, possibly using encryption and/or authentication. Read the manual.

If SME server does not receive mail, then you need to ensure that SMTP connections reach your SME server (DNS settings, router configuration, ISP port blocks) and then you need to examine qpsmtpd logs to determine what SME server does with the incoming connections. Most problems are DNS, router or ISP issues, and have nothing to do with SME server operation or configuration.

Documentation team members, please consider writing a step by step troubleshooting guide.

[jock]

  Thanks folks! I have learned quite a bit and have my email on the server up and running. Matter of fact have had many of my delayed test sends come through all at once. It was a combination of things. I had not enabled port 25.... thought I had but a box wasn't checked. I also had the pop3 set up incorrectly. So I really appreciate the time and effort to answer all the queries.
Mary, Christian, Charlie I thank you very much!