Using SMTP in "Standalone Demo on a PC" (Advanced Users Guide)

[cornishpirate]

I've successfully set up my demo website on my PC by installing Apache etc as set out in the AUG.

However, I'm failing to get any SMTP server setting throught the Test phase of Web/Network Setup.

Any advice?

Alan

[wjcampbe]

Have you installed an SMTP server? Have you tried 'localhost' (without the punctuation marks)?

[NormanRouxel]

The Advanced guide article sets up Apache, Perl and FTP. It does not include an SMTP transport.

What I do is to set the SMTP servername to "dummy" and ignore the SMTP related errors that the Network Test produces.

Site will work fine that way - you just won't get any emails out of it.

However you don't really need that capability at all unless you're trying to alter or see the layout of the emails.

You could possibly set up the SMTP server using the same settings as you use in your own email client (e.g. Oultlook Express). That might work but you may have to let your firewall know what you're doing.

[cornishpirate]

Thanks for those responses.

The mystery deepens! I had tried various alternatives, including localhost, my Outlook SMTP server and also a couple of standalone SMTP servers.

Web/Network Setup/Test ALWAYS produced error messages.

However, on running my demo system, certain of these settings did, in fact, produce the correct emails.

Will now try to reproduce more slowly, so I can see which settings do work, despite the error messages.

More info asap.


UPDATE:

Using my ISP's SMTP server, together with username & password, DOES work, even though the Test fails.