Problem sending emails

Question

Problem sending emails

hello. i have a problem that i cant seem to find addressed in these forums!
I have an account with hostexcellence for a website. when i configure Mail for hostexcellence (my personal domain ; threefilm.com), the incoming mail is working but outgoing isnt.

upon checking with my hosting solution, i telnet my IP and found that its apparenlty spam blocked. My server host is telling me its not a problem with their mail servers, but with my ISP blocking my mail ID for Spam.

however i dont agree with them, (maybe i am wrong) :

1) Since I havent been able to set up my mail, how could i have been sending spam?
2) from my Mac, i am happily sending mail using Yahoo! POP account and my older ISP mail account. Its only when i use hostexcellence hosted mail account that i have a problem.
3) i checked from another mac, which has a different ISP, and still the same problem. Yahoo! POP mail is sending, but hostexcellence mail is NOT sending. That probably means the problem is NOT with my ISP but with my hosted mail server (hostexcellence)
4) i have tried cheking port 25, 587, still same problem.

anyone know how to solve this? my threefilm mail account is working via webmail, but NOT through Apple Mail.app

PowerBook G4 15 - 1.5, Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Apr 28, 2006 4:41 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 28, 2006 5:15 AM in response to Paramvir Singh

Hello,

The block your server host is talking about would not necessarily be for any cause, but simply a general block of using third party SMTP -- more and more ISP are doing this.

Does the SMTP for your hosted mail account require separate authentication? If so, what type?

Knowing who your ISP is, might allow further suggestions.

Ernie

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Answer 2

Apr 28, 2006 7:35 AM in response to Ernie Stamper

hi! I am in India and my ISP is my Mobile Service Provider 'Airtel'. I use Airtel India's EDGE Network and a Motorola A780 to go online on my Powerbook. I know the Airtel call center people. They are generally of no help and have never heard of Apple Macs.

On my desktop, my ISP is TouchNet, a small local ISP.

'The block your server host is talking about would not necessarily be for any cause, but simply a general block of using third party SMTP' : Could be a reason. I believe my mails are routed through opentransfer.com as that was a suggested Incoming and Outgoing server by my web host 'hostexcellence'.

I have started a small film production house and really need to get the mail working on Mail.app.

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Answer 3

Apr 28, 2006 9:58 AM in response to Paramvir Singh

The actual issue should not be Mac specific, in my opinion, so I would avoid focus on Macs, and the Mail application. Instead, you need to provide more information about whether the SMTP provided (if that is the case) by your hosting agent, requires separate authentication. I think to use Port 587 with a SMTP requires that the SMTP be authenticated, such as with password.

Talk to your providers in terms of whether you need to change the port number, and about the SMTP should be authenticated.

Ernie

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Answer 4

Apr 29, 2006 8:45 PM in response to Ernie Stamper

Hi Ernie. Thanks for the Help.
My server host compnay says i DO NOT NEED authentication. I did not use authentication on port 587. This is what support at hostexcellence had to tell me...
"If both 25 and 777 ports do not work please try to contact your ISP and verify there smtp server details. My deep guess is that your ISP is blocking outgoing mail server from 3d parties for spam protection reasons."

and finally they said
"Yahoo using their's own RBL databases. We are using spamcop's .
That's why you can send from yahoo's account and can't from ours.
Unfortunately , it is impossible to resolve this issue on our end, you should contact with spamcop or with your ISP."

I was wondering, since I am using phpBB2 and Joomla on my site, if I have left any security gates open on server that someone may be using for sending spam mail or something like that. Is is possible?

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Answer 5

Apr 30, 2006 3:56 AM in response to Paramvir Singh

Paramvir,

The references to spam protection are not because of anything you are doing, but rather to general spam protection -- limiting the ports that can be used is thought to limit unauthorized use of a SMTP to send. Thus I would not worrying to much that something is actually happening with your server and sending spam because of these statements you have heard.

While I am unfamiliar with Port 777, I believe it involves webmail, and not sending with a SMTP.

In my experience, use of Port 587 always involves an authenticated SMTP, so if the one associated with your host company is NOT authenticated, then that might prevent it from working on Port 587, while at the same time, your ISP could be blocking Port 25 to its use.

Have you tried the SMTP provided by your ISP, as the Outgoing Server? This would not impact which From address you use, normally, but should allow you to send with your preferred address.

Ernie

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Answer 6

Apr 30, 2006 1:14 PM in response to Ernie Stamper

Hi Ernie
Thanks for your highly educating reply. I also like the idea of of using a different smtp server, since my other two mail accounts ARE working on outgoing. I will send test mails to myself to see if the 'from' address gets affected. thanks again.

my ISP is actually my mobile phone service carrier. they havent given me an SMTP server address. will have to check with them. apparently they give SMTP server addresses only with their Data Cards, and I use it through my Motorola A780.

Paramvir

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Answer 7

Apr 22, 2007 10:32 AM in response to Paramvir Singh

thanks. i solved my problem by entering a different smtp server.

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