Topic: Mails are not delivered (no SMTP connection)

[Beast]

Hi All

When I use the outgoing mail system, no mails are comming out. This is something that has not allways been the case. Found out because the Webmail system is not working. All LAN client programs work because the SMTP server is not pointing to the local SME server.

I found the following error in the mail log.

Reasons for deferral

One line per reason for deferral. Information on each line:
* del is the number of deliveries that ended for this reason.
* xdelay is the total xdelay on those deliveries.

del   xdelay  reason
 44  1349.94  Sorry, I wasn't able to establish an SMTP connection. (#4.4.1)

What can be the problem?

NB: Using 6.01 in server only mode
PS: Have also tried to disable the HW firewall

[PeterG]

What happens when you use webmail then?

Have you tried telneting to port 25 of the server if so what happens?

e.g. telnet {your server ext ip address} 25

You should get a line of text back.

Post the results back here.

[Beast]

This is the message I get when I telnet port 25 of the server - normal as far as I can tell. It was done from the LAN side - but also internal webmail handling is done from that side

220 linuxserver.beast.dk mailfront ESMTP

When I say that the messages is not delivered I do not get any error message in webmail (Horde) - they just never reach the target. May get an error mail back after 2 weeks stating that it was unable to deliver - give up etc.

/Beast

[Beast]

This is the error message that I get after some days, when using webmail. It just confirm that it is unable to establish a SMTP connection - but why, is there any way around it, some mis-configuration.

Where does the SME server deliver the mails to after it has been handed over to the SME server. I do not see any configuration for this - at least it states that I do not need to fill anything in a standard configuration.

I have set up a DNS record for the domain like this:

Active zone

$ORIGIN beast.dk.
$TTL 86400
@ IN SOA ns.kyed.dk. dns.kyed.dk. (
   2002120504 ; Serial
        10800 ; Refresh
         1800 ; Retry
       604800 ; Expire
        86400 ; TTL
)
localhost A 127.0.0.1
@   NS ns.kyed.dk.
@   NS ns.angelo.dk.
*   A   80.196.161.41
@   A   80.196.161.41
@   MX   10 beast.dk.
@   MX   20 backup-mx.post.tele.dk.

/Beast

NB: Below the error mail.

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at beast.dk.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following
addresses. This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't
work
out.

<studvejl@adm.dtu.dk>:
Sorry, I wasn't able to establish an SMTP connection. (#4.4.1)
I'm not going to try again; this message has been in the queue too long.

[Anonymous]

Right then...

The webmail is working through http (port 80), so in effect has nothing to do with the functioning part of the e-mail part of the server.

The server uses smtp to send and receive e-mail using port 25.

This is both on the internal lan and the external lan, you have checked that the smtp port (25) is open on the internal ip address (lan) so now you will need to check the external IP address also has port 25 open and receiving smpt traffic. To do this telnet to the external ip address of the server on port 25.

I have just tried to telnet to beast.dk on port 25 and got no response, so for some reason port 25 is not responding on  your external WAN.


I would check or answer the following.

Do you have another firewall between you and the internet?
If so how is it configured?

How is the server configured for e-mail?

What version of the server are you running?

Does your isp block port 25 traffic? You may need to call them to get this information.

PeterG.

[Beast]

Port 25 is not responding because it is stopped in the firewall - outgoing traffic do pass thru

If I fill in the ISP smtp server in the e-mail configuration it works again, but it has not been there before (as far as I know)

/Beast

NB: Below the help text for the field

The server can deliver outgoing messages directly to their destination (recommended in most cases) or can deliver them via your Internet provider's SMTP server (recommended if you have an unreliable Internet connection or are using a residential Internet service). If using your Internet provider's SMTP server, specify its hostname or IP address below. Otherwise leave this field blank.

[PeterG]

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

You want to use the server for outgoing and incoming e-mail ?

If so then the firewall needs to open port 25 for incomming and outgoing traffic for your sme server.


PeterG.

[SSBN]

I have the same problem. I have two SME servers behind a smoothwall firewall. One in am wail/web server the other is just for file sharing. The mail/web one is in a DMZ. My mail/web server’s SMTP worked fine for about 6 months. Then it just stopped. I switched my clients over to using my other SME server’s SMTP with no problems. But I have never had the mail/web server SMTP working again. If I do an event post update it will fix it for a day or two but then it stops again. Both servers are 5.6 will all updates.