I am tried to set up a Mac email client to send my email via my hosting company's SMTP server (using port 587 and port 25), but sending just times out. I just spent a half-hour with my host's top tech trying to figure out why. He said he has no problem with PC email clients sending through his SMTP server, but we couldn't get any of my Mac email clients (tried Entourage, Postbox, Mail and Thunderbird) to work.
I'd prefer to send through my host company's server instead of Verizon. Any ideas?
Thanks.
Care to share the name of the hosting company / SMTP address to which you are connecting?
If you open a terminal window on the Mac and run the command:
telnet smtp.host.name 587
what happens?
Trying telnet, I get:
nodename nor servname provided, or not known
The mail server is in my website's name, not the hosting company's name.
Sorry, messed up. I mean used smtp.mysitesname.com, and the server is mail.mysitesname.com. Here's what I got when I tried the right server name:
Trying ...
telnet: connect to address :
Operation timed outtelnet: Unable to connect to remote host
Have you read the Notice about SMTP blocking. The SMTP server you use outside of Verizon's network must be setup to accept connections on port 587 as you've been discussing. Check your security settings for logging into you SMTP server connection. With and with out login encryption to the SMTP server. Post and error message you receive when try to send mail. This notice does discuss MAC briefly, but mentions Verizon's servers.
Some hosting companies require you to connect to their server and use your host name and or domain as the user with password when connecting. Based on your connection information they relay the mail through your host and domain name. That is how my old service worked. If you try to connect with your host name and domain it may just sit there and not respond. We would need more information on the hosting service you use.
OK ... now that I have an IP address, I took a quick look and the typical alternate SMTP ports are not configured on that system. It appears like they may only be supporting port 25 for client mail delivery and this will not work (there's a whole thread about port 25 SMTP blocking and why this is a smart move by Verizon and an increasing number of other ISP's).
Who is the hosting provider? Hostnine, Hostgator, someone else? Perhaps I can find if they have a documented alternate port to use.
GM Lasagna, How do you look up that information based on the IP Address?
is that a port scan your doing or ?
Well, yes and no.
Port scanning in general is bad form, particularly when the recipient network has not explicitly agreed to the scan. Many IPS systems will pick you up as a denial of service attack potentially and shut you down.
I have a port scanning tool that I use professionally in my day job to scan corporate DMZ exposed systems for incorrect firewall configurations, etc. and while I have a profile for "typical mail server ports" (25, 26, 110, 143, 465, 587, 995, etc.) that I can use, in this case since the user indicated they were told 587 was open, I just used telnet to try connect to the IP directed at port 587, 26, and 2525 -- the most common alternate ports..
Usually, if you have the name of the hosting provider, it's pretty easy to root around on their support website to find their alternate SMTP ports if you know what you're looking for. That's why I was hoping the OP would share the hosting provider's name.
The tech guy told me they had port 587 configured just for Verizon. (It's the local phone company here, so it has a big share of the ISP business. My hosting company is also local.) I'll have to get back to my hosting company on why it's not working.
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