Can't send mail - error "HELO/EHLO"

Well, I've just sent the following message to tiscali support via Yahoo web mail and I will let you know how they respond.

I use an Apple iMac G4, OSX 10.2.8, Apple MAIL, Tiscali broadband connection.

I HAVE NOT CHANGED ANY INTERNET/MAIL SETTINGS and I do not run any Norton Software.

Just recently, I am able to receive e-mail via my Tiscali email but I am unable to SEND. My emails go straight to my Outbox and stay there. I get the following error message:

-The outgoing mail server "smtp.tiscali.co.uk" failed to deliver this message. HELO/EHLO with my domain name. You are not me.

I contacted Tiscali telephone support and they were unable to help. Please read the following threads as it is clear other Tiscali customers are having the same problem!!

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=912069&tstart=0

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=124932

I'm not going mad then!!

Since last week I too have been having the same problem.
I'm running the same OS, the same version of Mail, have had no problems with Tiscali up until now and get the exact same error message.
Like John, have checked all network settings and everything seems in order.

Please, please can anybody help us!

I have been assisting a friend with this problem all over the weekend. He too has a Tiscali account and is getting exactly the same error. I have tried everything. All his settings are correct. We have tried deleting and resetting the account details but no Joy.

Tiscasli so called 'support' staff just wash their hands of the problem stating 'We don't support Macs'.

If anyone comes up with a solution I would be most grateful.

Thanks

This is apparently a Linux server error message on receiving an attempt to send email through their outgoing system without providing a valid domain - i.e. tiscali.co.uk. This page explains the process (I don't pretend to understand it):
http://www.carbonstudios.co.uk/site/44/180.html
but the purpose is to prevent spammers sending via a system they don't subscribe to.

So probably what is happening is that your computer, on sending mail, is failing to identify itself as being part of tiscali.co.uk - basically Tiscali thinks you are trying to send while connected through another ISP (few ISPs will allow this).

I assume that no-one is trying to send mail via Tiscali while connected through another ISP? Given that, check in Mail Preferences>Accounts that your email address ends with tiscali.co.uk, that the POP server is pop.tiscali.co.uk and the SMTP server is smtp.tiscali.co.uk

If all this is correct, and Tiscali refuses to help (and this isn't necessarily a Mac-specific problem), quite honestly I should think about changing to an ISP that does support Macs.

As an emergency measure I suggest setting up a Yahoo or other free account so that you can at least send mail from their web-based system.

More info. This problem has been fairly widespread, even with non-Macs. Please see this forum:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=124932

There is a suggestion that using Norton Antivirus to scan outgoing mail can cause this problem Is anyone here with this problem also using Norton? - if so try disabling it.

It is my site mentioned above as an explanation of the error (hence my arrival here - saw the thread in my web stats)

Let me explain whats happening in the hope of shedding some light on the issue.

When you send out e-mail, the following procedure happens:

1. You create the mail, add recipients/subject etc and press send.

2. Your mac connects to your configured SMTP server

3. The server will ask your computer for its name

4. Your computer returns a string to the server - known as an EHLO/HELO usually this would be the name your computer is set to (for example: mymac.local)

5. The server checks the name that was sent, if it is a FQDN (e.g. server.company.com) it will check the DNS records to ensure the host is valid, then checks its access rules and either allows your computer to send the rest of the e-mail or sends a deny message and kicks you off

Your computer is failing one of the EHLO/HELO checks, the reason for this is that your email client is returning tiscali.co.uk or localhost when the server is asking it for its name.

It is possible that the name of your mac is the issue, it could be a bug, or you may even be using a tiscali proxy server to connect.

What is the name of your mac?
Are you using a tiscali proxy server?

I'm on a pc at the moment but when I get a chance I will look at the strings that Mail returns to my server from my Mac as it could possibly be a bug.

Apparently at the beginning of April, Tiscali upgraded their mail server or increased its security settings, resulting in two different errors:

1. HELO/EHLO with localhost. You are not me.
2. HELO/EHLO with my domain name. You are not me.

1. is apparently caused by software such as Norton Antivirus processing outgoing mail, and can be fixed by leaving your system open to viruses...

2. is the problem most of us Mac users are experiencing, and appears to be something at our OS level.

My connection is dial-up, no proxy that I am aware of. My computer's hostname is "My-Computer.local.", and the IP address it gets from Tiscali resolves to "ppp-5-71.lond-a-2.access.uk.tiscali.com". As far as I can figure out, the mail client is supposed to send one of these, preferably the latter. Instead it is sending "tiscali.co.uk". The only place I can find a setting containing "tiscali.co.uk" is in my email address itself, also used for the pop3 authentication.

Does anyone know whether it is the Mail app, sendmail, or some other part of OS X that is responsible for generating the SMTP EHLO string?

Do you know how to configure it to send the correct string instead of "tiscali.co.uk"?

Can I just ask if anyone has tried using a different mail client other than Mac Mail? I just wondered if any recent upgrade to Mail could be causing the problem?

I realise that if this is a handshaking problem caused by incorrect authentication by the OS then using a different client wouldn't help. But, I couldn't help wondering.

Good thinking - I was wondering that myself. First I tried an experiment with Mail: in the Account settings, I changed my email address to "me@miaow.co.uk". When I sent a message, the SMTP EHLO string changed to "miaow.co.uk", and Tiscali accepted it. Not terribly useful, though, because no-one would be able to reply to that address.

Then I installed Thunderbird from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/. It picked up my primary account settings from Mail (but not my address book, unfortunately), and had no trouble sending or receiving mail. The EHLO string it sends is the local hostname, "My-Computer.local.", which Tiscali accepts.

If there's no way to change the way Mail behaves, can we log a bug somewhere? Still, I think this counts as a solution 🙂

This is really interesting because it puts the problem fairly and squarely at the Mac Mail Client. However, as has been established earlier in the thread, Tiscali seems to have had a server or server software upgrade.

I am keen to try the Thunderbird thing though. I will suggest this to my friend (who is the one having the problem).

I will let you know how he gets on.

Thanks

Well, I for one am happy to report that Tiscali have fixed this problem. Can't say when for sure because I have been using their webmail rather than Apple Mail.

Apple Mail now works fine and I am able to SEND again.

Hope all is well for you too.

Hi all

Just a longshot, are you all running the USB broadband modems supplied by tiscali (such as the sagem f@st) or have you go an ethenet modem?

Macfool

Yes - It is the Sagem f@st 800 USB. This has worked faultlessly for about a year. Do you think there is a fault with it?

I am in EXACTLY the same position.
Has a solution been found yet?

I can tell you what their response will be I'm afraid. 'We do not support Mac'!

At least that's the reply I got!

I have now solved the problem......I've signed up with eclispe!