mail problems

[Baltic_Herring]

I am just beginning to test a secure site and I am having problems sending order completion, mails, order notification mails and mails via the contact_us form. Finding error messages is quite a challenge, however the "contact_us" form and the off-line shop-mail-function flag a "cannot connect to mail socket" error. Cant tell you what the rest flag, but I guess the same.

The provider is 1&1 (well 1und1.de), and the mail account has been tested using identical smtp and user/password params from thunderbird.

Any idea why I can connect to the smtp server via Thunderbird (been doing it for ages and never had a problem) but it appears as if I cannot establish a connection via actinic - any ideas?

Look forward to your replies - thanks in advance

B_H

[wjcampbe]

My 1and1 smtp settings tell me they don't work too. Actinic reports failure no matter what I put in the network settings boxes - BUT the email DOES work. I get all email notifications and so do my customers.

That said, I am not using SSL. I am using v7.0.3 Catalog. What version are you?

[Baltic_Herring]

Bill - I'm also using 7.0.3 Cat - unfortunately mails are not sent because I have been monitoring the inboxes

Stuart

[Steve Zodiac]

You must remember that it is completely immaterial whether your email client (Thunderbird, Outlook, whatever) can connect to the smtp server, as the email that is being sent is not from your account or your machine, Actinic software does not connect to the smtp server.

The way that it works is that any mail sent from Actinic software either automatic or from the software itself, goes via a script on your web server.
The upshot of this is that the machine that is connecting to the smtp server is in fact the web server using the web server account, which under normal circumstances is an unusual thing, so the web server may not be on the smtp servers list of acceptable connecting machines.

Unfortunately though 8 out of 10 smtp server/Actinic issues need to be resolved by the hosting company.

[Baltic_Herring]

Steve, sound feasable. So if I have understood you correctly if I point the actinic .pl's at an "external" (ie outside of the hosting domain) smtp server by entering the appropriate data in the network config form should it then work?

stuart

[Mike Hughes]

Actinic should be connecting to your web hosts smtp server.

There are several options for 1and1 that have worked in the past. A search will bring them up, but you could try these for starters:

Localhost
auth.smtp.oneandone.co.uk
auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk

You might want to try .de instead of .co.uk and also try using them with and without authentication. Experience has shown that 1and1s auth.smtp servers often work best with authentication turned off.

Mike

[Steve Zodiac]

Steve, sound feasable. So if I have understood you correctly if I point the actinic .pl's at an "external" (ie outside of the hosting domain) smtp server by entering the appropriate data in the network config form should it then work?

stuart

Unfortunately not, what will happen is the external smtp server will see the mail as 'third party' mail (spam) and reject it. A few years ago it was possible to do this, but since the increase in spam, most smtp servers will only accept mail from a machine within the domain, or one that it knows.

[Baltic_Herring]

I have finally had a reply from 1and1 - they dont allow direct access to the mail server for security reasons and have disabled the ports accordingly. However "sendmail" is a viable and suported option - does anyone know which file contains the perl scripts used to send order confirmation etc etc mails?

Thanks in advance.

stuart

[NormanRouxel]

Actinic.pm contains the e-mail routines. You may also find the readme on www.drillpine.biz/actinicstuff (right at the bottom of the page) about patching this to use Mail::Mailer (which 1&1 supports) useful. This patch was done for V5 and V6 so may need some tinkering for V7.

Also I use 1&1 for test sites (1&1 Business Plan on Linux) and have no trouble getting mail through. I simply use

SMTPHOST auth.smtp.oneandone.co.uk

and no authentication.

[wjcampbe]

Thank you, Norman. I just used your setting and passed the network setup test for the first time.

[Baltic_Herring]

Norman - thanks a lot. Althought my hosting partner is 1and1, being as I am based and live in Germany I use the parent company "1und1.de".

In order to get this mail thing working I have tried various permutations of:

smtp.einsundeins.de, smtp.1und1.de, smtp.eins&eins.de etc - all with the same resutls - nothing.

Reading your posting gave me an idea - I have just hacked in (well cut and paste) auth.smtp.oneandone.co.uk as my smtpserver and BINGO.

I guess a bit of "out of the box" thinking helps - why didnt I try it earlier

stuart

(could it be that 1&1/1und1 have a security back-door problem? Dont spread the word to much in case they close it and I have to start all over )

[NormanRouxel]

It's wierd. I've a feeling that auth.smtp.oneandone.co.uk and auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk both exist but only the first one works with Actinic.

[Mike Hughes]

Ever get the feeling your forum post must be invisible.

Mike