Re: [exim] smarthost/SMTP issue

Robert Pawlowicz wrote:

> my update-exim4.conf.conf file:

Looks like this beongs on the Debian-specific Exim list?
>
> dc_eximconfig_configtype='satellite'
> dc_other_hostnames='localhost.localdomain'
> dc_local_interfaces='127.0.0.1'
> dc_readhost='localhost'
> dc_smarthost='mail.bulldoghome.com'
> dc_relay_domains=''
> dc_minimaldns='false'
> dc_relay_nets=''
> CFILEMODE='644'
> dc_use_split_config='false'
> dc_hide_mailname='true'
> dc_mailname_in_oh='true'
>

Not familiar with these variants, but;

- what does 'hostname <Return> get you?

- Is 127.0.0.1 your actual external IP? If not, have you told Exim the real one
or defaulted to it? (DHCP assigned?)

- Have you confirmed with the folks at what used to be 'Mercury House' that you
want 'mail.bulldog.com' and not 'mx1.bulldog.com' for the smarthost, whether
they expect you on port 25 or a submission port, and if you are exepted to
authenticate, and if so, how?

And one presumes you are not *really* using 'example.com' for anything but
obfuscation.

> Robert Pawlowicz wrote:
>
>>Hi there,
>>
>>I'm trying to set up Exim so that my testing server at home will send
>>emails. I'm running RT (request tracker) and PHP4 and I'd like to be
>>able to use both properly.
>>
>>I set out to configure Exim4 on debian and at first glance it looked
>>relatively straight forward - as I imagined it should be. I'd actually
>>set this up a while ago so was completely new to it.
>>
>>Any way, firstly I thought I'd use my usual SMTP mail server which is
>>completely separate from my ISP.

Can you enter yourself as a permitted relay_host on that server?

>> All I would need to do is authenticate
>>and all would be done. However I noticed very quickly that it wasn't
>>sending emails to any address other than the domain for the SMTP server.
>>For example the SMTP host is mail.example.com - I could only send emails
>>to rob@???.
>>
>>I gave up with that and figured my ISP would be easier - well not quite,
>>all I get back from them is a 550 relay not permitted. Again I was
>>shocked at my email client has no such problem. So long as I
>>authenticate correctly surely it should work?
>>

An MTA does not ordinarily expect to connect the same way an MUA does.

If you want to act as an MSA client where an MUA is normally expected, you will
have to 'teach it' to connect on the submission port and authenticate as an MUA
would do.

>>Any way please help - I really need to get these emails working, it's
>>making testing some applications a nightmare.
>>
>>Kind regards,
>>
>>Robert Pawlowicz
>>
>>

You should be able to test almost entirely within your internal LAN by setting
up for 'IP literals' and/or running a local DNS with test domains and pointing
to it at the top of ~/etc/resolv.conf (or Linux equivalent). ~/etc/hosts (or
Linux equivalent) along with some additional Exim settings might also do.

If you are going to run a public-facing smtp server, you should check Bulldog's
T&C carefully before you proceed. Many broadband providers forbid that.

HTH,

Bill Hacker

(ex Cable & Wireless)