I cant send outbound emails

HI

I have installed Webmin/Virtualmin and everything works fine. But I cant send outbound emails but can recieve them.

Subsequently even the inbound stopped working, so I switched from Postfix to Sendmail but still the same problem, no outbound email, only inbound email.

Can anyone help?

Yamin

First step, like always when having Linux trouble, is to take a look at logfiles, here /var/log/mail.*. You’ll surely find at least a reason why errors occur. :slight_smile:

When you post excerpts from logfiles here, please enclose them in tags.

Additionally, we need to know what “can’t send mail” means exactly. From where to where are you trying to send mail, and what happens?

HI

This is what the log says -

“postfix/smtpd[29494]: warning: support for restriction “check_relay_domains” will be removed from Postfix; use “reject_unauth_destination” instead”"

" postfix/smtpd[29494]: NOQUEUE: reject: RCPT from unknown[92.12.84.83]: 554 5.7.1 alternatives@boycottisrael.org: Recipient address rejected: Relay access denied; from=feryymy8900@as43234.net to=alternatives@boycottisrael.org proto=ESMTP helo=<as43234.net>"

I have been trying to send from the outlook client. Its failiing to work with SMTP. But I did send emails from within the user mailbox in virtualmin.

regards

Yamin

HI

Also is there a document for configuring your server for SMTP delivery for outbound emails. I could check against that to ensure it is configured correctly.

Yamin

The error message reads like the client did not authenticate (successfully), hence the subsequent attempt to relay mail (=send to non-local recipient) was rejected. Did you configure Outlook to use SMTP Authentication?

To say more, the whole log excerpt would be required in addition to the two lines you posted.

Normally, if you’ve used the Virtualmin install script on a Grade-A supported system, there is no special configuration required to send outbound mail. Or rather, Vmin does that automatically.

HI

Sorry the above domain is no longer used anyway. The log message below is the one relates to it. I have used SMTP authentication on the client. I did use the script to install it.
Just a side pont., I see that you default to postfix. Is there a reason you use that instead of sendmail?

The log message is -

Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/qmgr[28714]: D1DEB67B80C1: from=yamin.radicalviews@localhost.localdomain, size=600, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/qmgr[28714]: 3D73B67B80C3: from=yamin.radicalviews@localhost.localdomain, size=601, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/smtp[29799]: warning: relayhost configuration problem
Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/smtp[29800]: warning: relayhost configuration problem
Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/smtp[29799]: D1DEB67B80C1: to=yaminz66@hotmail.com, relay=none, delay=83958, delays=83958/0.01/0/0, dsn=4.3.5, status=deferred (mail for 83.142.226.221 loops back to myself)
Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/smtp[29800]: 3D73B67B80C3: to=yaminz66@hotmail.com, relay=none, delay=83501, delays=83501/0.02/0/0, dsn=4.3.5, status=deferred (mail for 83.142.226.221 loops back to myself)

Regards

Yamin

This line probably informs about the problem:

Nov 26 23:16:15 radicalviews postfix/smtp[29799]: warning: relayhost configuration problem

You should check your Postfix config if there’s an incorrect “relayhost” entry in main.cf, alternatively in the Webmin Postfix module, section General Options, entry “Send outgoing mail via host”.

The reason why I “default to Postfix” is because it is the Virtualmin default and suggested mailer, and works okay for me. And since both are very complex and beyond my scope of full comprehension, I go with what is supported best. :slight_smile:

Hi

The default setting did not work so I changed the “Send Outgoing mail via host” to direct with the IP address of the server. But that did not word. I have now changed it back out still does not

work

Regards

Yamin

This is the logfile content now -

Nov 27 19:31:08 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:31:08 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:31:26 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:31:26 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:31:39 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:31:39 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:31:54 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:31:54 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:32:18 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:32:18 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:36:24 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
Nov 27 19:36:24 radicalviews dovecot: POP3(yamin.radicalviews): Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Nov 27 19:37:51 radicalviews dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<yamin.radicalviews>, method=PLAIN, rip=::ffff:94.30.25.1, lip=::ffff:83.142.226.221
N

Sorry, I can’t see any errors in your recent log… Only some POP3 logins reported by Dovecot. Please elaborate “still does not work”…

Hi

Yes it has now resolved somehow. Last night I was able to send the emails only from the mailbox in Webmin. Now I can send it from my Thuderbird client.

In the other control panel that I have used in the past I have to specify the IP address of machine where the mail client resides. It seems here all I need to do is provide username and password to send outbound emails. Is it possible to ensure that only IP addresses of machines specified can send outbound email? If so, do I specify it here - virtualmin > Server config > DNS Options > Allow sender IP address?

Also where do i specify only my domain can use the smtp server to send out email (of course spammers can specify the domain name in the from address) but that coupled with the above would make it secure.

regards

Yamin

Hi!

It seems here all I need to do is provide username and password to send outbound emails.

Yeah, actually that’s the usual way to do that. :slight_smile: Restricting mailbox users per IP address is possible, but usually not done.

Is it possible to ensure that only IP addresses of machines specified can send outbound email? If so, do I specify it here - virtualmin > Server config > DNS Options > Allow sender IP address?

It is possible, but the function you mentioned has another purpose. That’s the SPF stuff, and just creates nameserver records which other systems can query, to check if mail they receive are coming from a system that is permitted to send mail for your domain. They’re not enforced to use that scheme though.

To really limit the users which can use your server you’d need SMTP Client Restrictions in postfix itself. Though that’d be no use, since then you also could not receive mail, since Postfix does both reception of mail from the outside to your users, and reception of mail from your users that need to be sent out.

But you don’t need IP address restriction. Requiring SMTP AUTH before being allowed to send out mail is sufficient - and that is done by default.

Also where do i specify only my domain can use the smtp server to send out email

What do you mean with “only my domain” here? If you mean users of your domain: The username/password thing is sufficient to make sure only your users can send non-local email via your server. I’d not go and make any IP-based restrictions there. Except blacklisting IPs of known spammers.

“Also is there a document for configuring your server for SMTP delivery for outbound emails”

Where is this magical document of awesomeness? I verily wish to read it! : )