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os x update 10.10.4; mail won't send 6/30/15

So, I downloaded the OS X update that Apple sent out today. BIG MISTAKE. When I restarted my computer, my Mail program would no longer connect with either of the smtp servers associated with the account. I tried everything, right down to deleting the account and reinstalling. No luck. My next big mistake was contacting Apple support. The first chat went on for 45 minutes of me patiently trying to explain the problem. Then I was supposed to be connected to a "Senior Supervisor." After 20 minutes wait, I was disconnected. So, like a fool, I reconnected. After an hour of speaking with someone who seemed not only to know nothing about macs, but seemingly nothing about the internet or computers, I was called by Apple and...put on hold. So, I finally got smart and gave up. Now I'm doing what I should have done in the first place, contacting users. Can anyone help?

Posted on Jun 30, 2015 6:01 PM

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Posted on Jun 30, 2015 7:48 PM

Select the Advanced tab in the settings for the account and check the box marked

Automatically detect and maintain account settings

Close the preferences window and save the change.

86 replies

Jul 1, 2015 3:30 PM in response to Wombat Fan

I tried both "Automatically detect and maintain account settings" box (on and off) did not make a difference.


Neither did the SSL/MD5 option. The logs clearly show mail issues a STARTTLS and receives a 220 from the server but than Mail.app simply does nothing until about a minute later when it reports an error, which I don't know what that error even means.

Jul 1, 2015 9:12 PM in response to nicx

What worked for me was to switch from Gmail Application Passwords to two-factor authentication, which is supported since OS X 10.10.3 (and iOS 8.3): Deleted all GMail SMTP accounts in Key Chain, Removed Google Account from System Preferences, Internet Accounts and set up a new account for Google, providing a token from the Google Authenticator app (others may work, too). Now, SMTP outgoing is working in Apple Mail.

Jul 1, 2015 10:05 PM in response to nicx

I've talked with a couple of different people at Apple phone support, and seems like there is no solution yet they can give me. I also have our own mail server. My Gmail works, but not my company mail for outgoing mails. Very frustrating..


TBH, Can't understand how Apple can release an official OS update in this condition. Unbelievable....

Jul 1, 2015 11:25 PM in response to nicx

Our Mail server is fixed.


Basically our network company had to reconfigure Sendmail to accept a higher level encryption.


We used a 2048 bit SSL Cert for mail however the DH key was 256 bit - Apples changes needs at least 768 bit.


The guys then needed to use Open SSL to generate a higher DH Key and then configure Sendmail to use it as its default is 256 bit


Not entirely sure that makes sense but I am sure if you manage a server it may help.

Jul 2, 2015 7:14 AM in response to AWMG

This actually helped me. Before changing anything I checked the connection initiation with my server by using the openssl tool and that one threw a warning about the length of the dhparam key.


I increased the length of the dhparam key in my courier installation. Important to remark is, that 768bit is not enough, you have to go to 1024.


The sad side is, that this is so typical apple again, that it hurts. Why is it not possible to tell that to the user? At least give a warning? Instead this annoying "your internet is broken! By a new one at your closest genius bar!"-Message.


OS X and iOS work for me 85% of the time really really good, otherwise I would be long gone. But it has something of a drug addiction...

Jul 2, 2015 7:29 AM in response to Quams

Quams wrote:


The sad side is, that this is so typical apple again, that it hurts. Why is it not possible to tell that to the user? At least give a warning? Instead this annoying "your internet is broken! By a new one at your closest genius bar!"-Message.


OS X and iOS work for me 85% of the time really really good, otherwise I would be long gone. But it has something of a drug addiction...


I agree. Addiction is where you're compelled to take ill-advised action before submitting it to a rational calculus, right? Like installing a system update on the first day it's available. Five, six, seven years ago I was more cautious with system updates, as unexpected turbulence was common. But more recently Apple got better and I've let my guard down, excited to see what the engineers have come up with. This is a throw-back to the bad old days; Mail is the app I use most, and now mine's unusable. I'm not techie enough to try tweaking the "dhparam key," whatever that is, so instead I'm waiting five hours while Time Machine restores me to my last 10.10.3 state.


It all gives new meaning to the phrase "user group," no?

Jul 2, 2015 8:13 AM in response to Quams

I've verified that we use 1024 bits... but this has lead me to wonder if it's not a SHA1 vs. SHA256 issue. I know SHA1 as suppose to be phased out in 2016 by Google et al... I wonder if Apple has done the same thing.


I'm checking into that now. Our mail server has been around for some time and is long in the tooth. I would hate to be forced into an upgrade at this point in a rush :S

Jul 2, 2015 10:54 AM in response to Shashaness

I don't think it's that. This isn't a question of the length of the private key itself, like you'd see here:


[root@host private]# openssl rsa -in localhost.key -text -noout

Private-Key: (1024 bit)


I'd venture a guess that this is Apple responding to Logjam (or, more accurately, Apple nudging system administrators to patching/fixing their systems):


https://weakdh.org/


From there, you'll see a link to what you might need to do to address the problem with various common server software packages, including Sendmail and the like.

Jul 2, 2015 1:56 PM in response to Foxglove9

Well, you can contact them but it didn't do me any good. I made an appointment, got someone who didn't understand, waited on hold for a Senior Advisor, then walked him through the problem (explaining to him rather than vice versa), showing him this thread, and...he said there was nothing to do but wait, or restore 10.10.3. Which is what I'm doing.

Jul 2, 2015 2:14 PM in response to elbles

elbles wrote:

(...)

I'd venture a guess that this is Apple responding to Logjam (or, more accurately, Apple nudging system administrators to patching/fixing their systems):


That is exactly what annoys me. It is not nudging it is bullying in the worst way. The aforementioned fix, which helped me as well, is something we sort off found out by listening to the grapevine and tray&error. That is not a professional behaviour in any way! Because out of the available reactions OS X gives you, one can not deduce the fix.


There should be something popping up like "vulnerable TLS - I won't connect", and not the "Your internet is broken" from the connection doctor.


So all those who don't control their mail server (and that is most likely somewhere around 10% of the people having problems) and can do the fix themselves, they have to contact their servers administrator with something like "My Apple mail doesn't work anymore and there is this thread where some geeks say it is some dh-thingy which has to be bigger. Nobody really knows if it is the problem, but can you fix it please!" instead of "Apple addresses the logjam problem, lease upgrade your system according to the current standards"


But hey, it is not like as if email is an important part while using computers these days...😉

os x update 10.10.4; mail won't send 6/30/15

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