Topic: External access to pop3s using outlook

[tonyw]

Hi,

I am unable to connect MS Outlook to my SME 7 pop3s email from the outside world. I can connect locally and only get the certificate warning.
Webmail is working OK.

When running “Test Account Settings” in Outlook from my work, I get the following:
Send test e-mail message: The specified server was found, but there was no response from the server…etc.
Log onto incoming mail server(pop3): The specified server was found, but there was no response from the server…etc.
The same message for SMTP

On another machine in another location using Outlook express I get the following:
The host ‘Mail.mydomain.com’ could not be found. Please verify that you have entered the server name correctly. Account: <account>: ‘mail.mydomain.com’. Protocol: POP3, Port 995, Secure(SSL): Yes, Socket Error: 11004. Error Number: 0x800CCC0D

I have the following DNS records:
A records to:  mydomain.com &  www.mydomain.com
MX records to : mydomain.com

Forwarded ports 25, 110, 995, and 465 on my router to server IP

Set POP3 server access to Allow private and public (secure POP3S) In E-mail access settings.

Set E-mail retrieval mode to Standard (SMTP) and SMTP authentication to Allow SSMTP (secure) in Change e-mail reception settings.

In outlook mail account properties.
1. My incoming mail server is a POP3 server.
2. Incoming mail (POP3): mail.mydomain.com
3. Outgoing mail(SMTP): mail.mydomain.com
4. Account name: My SME users name
5. Password: My SME users password
7. Placed a tick mark in My server requires authentication.
8. Made sure there is no tick mark in Log on using Secure Password Authentication

Advanced tab
Placed a tick mark in both of the This servers requires a secure connection (SSL)
Changed the port value for Outgoing mail(SMTP): to 465.
Incoming mail port is set to 995

I have also turned off firewall and virus program.

telnet mail.mydomain.com 995
comes up with: Could not open connection to the host, on port 995: connection failed
telnet mydomain.com 995
does connect OK

I used www.yougetsignal.com to test ports 995 and 465 and they are both open.

Would anyone know what I am missing? I would really appreciate your help.

[CharlieBrady]

telnet mail.mydomain.com 995
comes up with: Could not open connection to the host, on port 995: connection failed
telnet mydomain.com 995
does connect OK

Obviously DNS isn't set up so that those two hostnames (which obviously aren't mail.mydomain.com and mydomain.com) return the same IP address.

I would really appreciate your help.

Because you haven't given us accurate information, we can't help much. Both DNS and your pop3s services are public, so you there's no need to be so coy.

[tonyw]

The DNS records are set up to the same IP address which is 203.89.163.78 and my domain name is whiskersoft.com

[David Harper]

MX records should point to a valid A record, not the domain as a whole.

Usually I set up a domain's external DNS as follows:

• A record for server FQDN - myserver.mydomain.com
• MX record for myserver.mydomain.com - allows the server to be authenticated by antispam tools
• Catch-all CNAME record for *.mydomain.com- points to myserver.mydomain.com

The catch-all CNAME allows aliases like www.mydomain.com and mail.mydomain.com to work without issue, without having to set the whole thing up manually.

[CharlieBrady]

The DNS records are set up to the same IP address which is 203.89.163.78 and my domain name is whiskersoft.com

Not so:

-bash-3.00$ host whiskersoft.com
whiskersoft.com has address 203.89.163.78
-bash-3.00$ host mail.whiskersoft.com
Host mail.whiskersoft.com not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)
-bash-3.00$

You need to have your DNS fixed. You also don't need an MX record.