External SMTP auth

[xenon]

I've been using xmail on Linux for a while, though I'm not 100% about my settings.

I recently tried to use different external SMTP server (I want to xmail to send all
mails to this server), but this fails because xmail is not sending the
"AUTH PLAIN xxxxxxx" to the SMTP server in response to the Server's '250' message.

As described in the xmail manual, I tried setting up a file in userauth/smtp, but this
has had no effect (I restart xmail after all changes, just to be sure).

I know I can SMTP to the new server, because I tested using NetScape and mails
were sent ok (the AUTH PLAIN message was seen with ethereal).

I find the xmail manual very unclear & confusing, so I probably just need a simple
parameter change somewhere.

Any ideas where to start ?

Thanks

[hschneider]

Did you also set your smtpfwd.tab to force XMail to forward mails to this specific SMTP ?
E.g.

aol.com[TAB]smtp.isp.com
will force all mails with a recipient in the aol.com domain through that SMTP server.
If you only put aol.com into your external auth config, then XMail looks up the MX entry of aol which points to another server than smtp.isp.com that does not need SMPT auth.

[xenon]

I have a smtpfwd.tab file with -

"*"[TAB]"external.smtp.server"

Though, I have been confused between smtpfwd.tab & smtpgw.tab files. My current
smtpfwd.tab works when set to my ISPs server (as it doesn't require the AUTH
reply).

Also, another slight problem. I setup an extaliases.tab - under the assumtion that
this would prevent emails for internal users being sent to my external SMTP server
and then back in through pop3links.tab - even though the 'mailto' was an external name,
xmail would simply deliver it to the internal user.

This file didn't seem to have any effect as mails were sent externally. Since this isn't
such a big problem, it's not that important. But - any ideas ?

Thanks !

[hschneider]

>"*"[TAB]"external.smtp.server"

With this entry you force all mail to be forwarded to this external SMTP.
Is this the server that needs SMTP auth ?
If yes, then you shoul use its address in you userauth/smtp config.

>I setup an extaliases.tab ...

How have you set up this file ?

[xenon]

1. I setup the contents of userauth/smtp/fully-qualified-name.tab

"plain"[TAB]"username"[TAB]"password"[NEWLINE]

I don't see anywhere where the address is used !!! ?

(I also tried "login"[TAB]"username"[TAB]"password")


2. My extaliases.tab

"external-domain"[TAB]"external-account"[TAB]"local-domain"[TAB]"local-user"[NEWLINE]

as described in the manual. All internal users have an entry, which is the external
account (as in POP3links).


My basic problem is that I don't understand which SMTP parameters relate to xmail, and
which relate to an external SMTP server.

[hschneider]

1. ... I don't see anywhere where the address is used !!! ?

Your address IS then name of the .tab file. I bet you used the user name instead, which is wrong.
If your target smtp is mailto.domain.com, then you .tab has to be named mailto.domain.com.tab.

2. ... My basic problem is that I don't understand which SMTP parameters relate to xmail,

Local means XMail and external means your ISP's SMTP. So your local domain is that thing defined in MailRoot\domains.

[xenon]

> Your address IS then name of the .tab file. I bet you used the user name instead, which is wrong.
If your target smtp is mailto.domain.com, then you .tab has to be named mailto.domain.com.tab.

I used the fully qualified name with ".tab", which is "mailto.domain.com.tab" as you
describe.

I understand the difference between internal/external, local/remote etc. I meant I
do not understand in the manual which parameters refer to xmail itself and
which refer to an external SMTP server.

[hschneider]

>.... do not understand in the manual ....

Can you give me the parameters or part of the manual that you exactly mean?

[xenon]

Hang on - I'm asking the wrong question.

How do I setup xmail to send the "AUTH PLAIN xxxxxxx" to an external SMTP server in response to the Server's '250' message ? This external SMTP server will handle all
mails sent from my localdomain.

The SMTP server is "mail.gmx.de" and it responds -
250-
AUTH=LOGIN CRAM-MD5 PLAIN
PIPELINING
8BITMIME

Maybe there is an example somewhere I can copy?

[hschneider]

Create a file
\MailRoot\userauth\smtp\mail.gmx.de.tab

In that file set
"plain" "username@gmx.de" "your_gmx_password"

divided by TABs.

Restart XMail.

[xenon]

Thanks - that's exactly what I have. Any ideas why xmail is not using it?
Some parameter (server.tab maybe?)

[xenon]

Further to this topic.

1. I don't understand the significant difference between smtpgw.tab & smtpfwd.tab.
Which should I be using (or both) ? I want to send ALL external emails to 'mail.gmx.de'
However, those email addresses which are mapped to internal users (pop3links.tab)
don't need to go out and back again, xmail could simply deliver them internally.

2. Does smtpextauth.tab refer to SMTP within xmail, or an external SMTP server?

3. Within 'server.tab'.
- DefaultSMTPGateway maybe this is conflicting with smtpgw.tab ?
- smtpConfig-xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx maybe I need to use this ?

[hschneider]

One little preface: Many things in the manual are unclear and deserverve further investigations. That's why this forum here exists. So please don't look at my answers as the ultimate solution (cause I have not tested everything deeply -- still learning , better look at them as a hint how to solve a problem ... Let's see what we can do together:

1) Both forward mail to another SMTP. If you want e.g. complex routing across a chain of 3 servers, you'll have to use smtpgw. If you want to e.g. multiplex to several target servers, that means choose 1 out of a given list, use smtpfwd.

2) Seems (not sure about that) to concern the local XMail server only. That means you can customize how YOUR clients are handled.


3) Within 'server.tab'.
- DefaultSMTPGateway maybe this is conflicting with smtpgw.tab ?
I think so. Leave this blank, if you use the .tab. Also when you use smtpfwd.tab.

- smtpConfig-xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx maybe I need to use this ?
NO, this only forces your machine to use SMTP auth for your clients.

[xenon]

I have just done a bit of testing using xmail under Windows. Since I'm stuck
behind my company's firewall, there's not too much I can do.
However, the userauth/smtp/mail.server.tab & smtpfwd.tab did indeed function
as you describe. The "AUTH PLAIN" was sent.

I shall try tonight on my home system (Linux) - I'm guessing that I'll find a conflict
in server.tab, smtpgw.tab & whatever else has to do with SMTP values.

Thanks for the help, I'll report tomorrow on my success tonight.....

xmail seems a great product, it's just a shame the documentation is hard to get along with.

[hschneider]

>...it's just a shame the documentation is hard to get along with.

That's absolutely right. So if you dig into that prob and get a solution, please post it to the forum. In the near future I'll compile a FAQ that will be a very useful reference. So any help will be apreciated ...

Thanks!

If it helps, here my server.tab:

CODE

"RootDomain" "intra.net" "POP3Domain" "intra.net" "HeloDomain" "intra.net" "PostMaster" "root@intra.net" "ErrorsAdmin" "root@intra.net" #"DisableEmitAuthUser" "1" #"CustomSMTPMessage" "Please open http://www.intra.net/smtp_errors.html to get more informations about this error" #"TempErrorsAdmin" "send-failures@intra.net" #"DefaultSMTPGateways" "192.168.1.2,192.168.1.15" "RemoveSpoolErrors" "0" #"NotifyMsgLinesExtra" "8" #"NotifySendLogToSender" "0" #"NotifyTryPattern" "1" "MaxMTAOps" "16" "ReceivedHdrType" "0" "FetchHdrTags" "+X-Deliver-To,+Received,To,Cc" #"MaxMessageSize" "20000" #"EnableAuthSMTP-POP3" "0" #"Pop3SyncErrorAccount" "psync-errors@intra.net" #"AllowNullSender" "1" #"AllowSmtpVRFY" "1" #"AllowSmtpETRN" "1" #"SmtpMinDiskSpace" "100000" #"SmtpMinVirtMemSpace" "64000" #"Pop3MinVirtMemSpace" "64000" #"CustMapsList" "list.dsbl.org.:1,blackholes.mail-abuse.org.:1,dialups.mail-abuse.org.:0" #"SMTP-RDNSCheck" "1" #"CheckMailerDomain" "1" #"SmartDNSHost" "dns.home.bogus.net:tcp,192.168.1.1:udp" #"DynDnsSetup" "www.dns4ever.com,80,/sys/u.cgi?d=MYDOMAIN&u=MYUSERNAME&p=MYPASSWORD&i=%s" #"DynDnsSetup" "members.dyndns.org,80,/nic/dyndns?action=edit&started=1&hostname=YES&host_id=yourhost.ourdomain.ext&myip=%s&wildcard=OFF&mx=mail.exchanger.ext&backmx=NO,foouser,foopasswd" #"SmtpConfig" "mail-auth" #"SmtpConfig-192.168.0.1" "mail-auth" "DefaultSmtpPerms" "MRVZ"