Able To Receive Email But Not Send It?

[Sean]

The test if your ISP is blocking port 255:

From your MS-DOS or Command Prompt:

telnet smtp.domain.tld 25 (substitute your exact, current smtp server's designation - eg - mail.hostpc.com)

*IF* that telnet connection succeeds, port 25 has *not* been blocked by the ISP - check elsewhere for problems.

A valid connection may look like this...or simular..(server, dates, exim version may vary)

220 www##.hostpc.com ESMTP Exim 4.32 Wed, 09 Mar 2005 18:58:38 -0600

However, *IF* that telnet test fails to connect, then port 25 *has* been blocked (by the ISP?).

The fix is pretty simple - you have to use your ISP's SMTP server - whatever their syntax / rules are.

And for OE (Outlook Express) from the Accunts > Servers tab

- Outgoing Mail Server
- My server requires authentication - may need to be set (to the ISP's email user name / password for the account?).
- You continue to use the email name (that port 25 can no longer reach)

Be aware though that the ISP's name(s) will show up in the email headers, rather than the former smtp.domain.tld stuff that was there when port 25 wasn't blocked. But you can set the "Reply To" value in the Accounts setup to your sites email address and any replies to it will go there instead of your ISP one.

There is NOTHING that HostPC can do to prevent your ISP from blocking port 25. They do this as part of their "industry best practice" to curb spam...though I don't for one think it really does much in that respect.

[D9r]

Originally posted by D9r@Nov 30 2005, 02:50 PM
From an ISP's FAQs:

Port 25 blocking
Port 25 blocking will stop spammers from sending out huge waves of unauthorized junk email by preventing EarthLink email from being sent out through any non- EarthLink mail servers. With Port 25 blocking, anyone logged in to an EarthLink access number will only be able to send mail through the EarthLink mail servers, thereby allowing us to block spam sent out through our network.

SECONDARY EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Any EarthLink member who has a secondary email account that is not an EarthLink account or a Web Mail account, will no longer be able to send email using that secondary account's outgoing (SMTP) mail servers. You will still be able to receive email normally through these accounts, but in order to send email, we need you to make a change for us. (You will still be able to send and receive email from any Web-based mail system, such as HotMail, without making any changes to your Web settings.)

EMAIL SOFTWARE SETTINGS
In your email software, please change your outgoing (SMTP) mail server to: blahblah.earthlink.net

This will have no impact on how your sent mail appears or on the ability of people to reply to you at your secondary email account. It simply allows EarthLink to ensure that spam is not being sent out through our network of access numbers.

Providers that block port 25:
NetZero
Mindspring
MSN
Earthlink
Flashnet
MediaOne
AT&T
Verizon
BellSympatico


Quoted post

[D9r]

Try using port 587 instead of port 25.

Originally posted by D9r@Dec 1 2005, 03:15 PM
I just tried connecting via telnet to port 587 instead of 25 (of mail.bellasites.com) and Earthlink let me through. So for now, at least, it appears that I could send outgoing through my domain -- until Earthlink starts blocking that one too. Would they? Hmm. What to do, what to do, ....


220 www16.privatelabeldns.com ESMTP Exim 4.44 Thu, 01 Dec 2005 15:09:22 -0500
Quoted post

[D9r]

Originally posted by D9r@Dec 2 2005, 04:19 PM
Got this additional info from the help list:
Steve Yates wrote:
Port 587 is the "e-mail submission" port...in other words, the port that we are "supposed" to be using to send SMTP mail to a server. I *think* this is regardless of whether the server requires authentication. Port 25 is for mail servers to talk to each other.

Scott Kitterman wrote:
Past performance isn't always indicative of future trends, but AFAIK, Port 587 is not blocked by ISPs except in the People's Republic of China.


Quoted post