Send e-mail without external smtp server

dx4 · 2018-09-13 10:21:19

For the last days I've been trying to setup anything that can send an e-mails without the use of external mail servers like gmail.

I've tried nearly everything that exists but apparently I'm doing something wrong. My most successful try was with postfix but I was getting timeout errors.

I just want to be able to send e-mails, I don't really care about receiving/reading e-mails. Can you help me?

null · 2018-09-13 10:31:13

Please ask questions the smart way

Nobody can help you with "I'm doing something wrong" or "timeout errors". If you want to use postfix please post your config and the exact error message.

Also most email servers will refuse to accept an email from an machine that has a dynamic IP address or no a reverse IP address entry.

dx4 · 2018-09-13 10:37:04

Currently I have no software installed. I'm open to suggestions but I want a simple solution to this problem.

This machine has a static IP address.

x33a · 2018-09-13 10:43:23

So, you basically want to be spoon-fed? That's now how this community works.

Go through the link that null posted and also through: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … ow_to_post

Then tell us what you tried and give exact error messages and logs, in case you face any issue.

Moving to NC.

dx4 · 2018-09-13 10:54:22

I want help to choose the best software possible. And this is in no way spoon-fed I've been trying to do this for at least 3 days now.

I'll list my tries here:
courier, sendmail, postfix, exim, dovecot, opensmtpd, ssmtp

I uninstalled the previous packages before installing the next one. Every package gave me some sort of error thus I gave up on them. So I want a suggestion on which package is more simple to install and debug. I'll post the errors after I configure it.

So, can you suggest me a simple package to install just to send e-mail without depending on an external SMTP server?

null · 2018-09-13 11:25:53

What is your definition of "best software possible"? All the programs you listed are different. They have different capabilities, different configurations and a few can't even really send emails (like dovecot, which is an IMAP/POP3 server).

There also is - as far as I know - no install and go MTA, all of them require configuration. While Postfix is not the easiest to configure, it's a very common MTA and you'll find a lot of documentation and help for it.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Po … figuration

Choose one and stick with it and then ask, when you get stuck and provide the informations I asked for in my first post.

loqs · 2018-09-13 11:40:41

dx4 wrote:

courier, sendmail, postfix, exim, dovecot, opensmtpd, ssmtp
I uninstalled the previous packages before installing the next one. Every package gave me some sort of error thus I gave up on them.

You would need to provide the steps you used to configure each one, the contents of the configuration files after modifications, the log files for the service, what you did to test the MTA and what output that generated.

brebs · 2018-09-13 12:10:12

dx4 wrote:

Every package gave me some sort of error thus I gave up on them.

Well, explain what the error was.

opensmtpd has the *simplest* configuration, I believe. Personally I recommend exim, due to its huge flexibility.

dx4 · 2018-09-13 12:19:44

Thank you for your answer null. That' was exactly the information I was talking about. Of course I was configuring each and every package after installing by the steps described in the wiki.

Also, thank you for your answer too brebs I will move to your solution if this doesn't work. Every package gave me different errors, that's why I needed help on which to choose, none where working for me.

So first let's try null's solution.

I installed postfix and:

Set Secure SMTP (sending) as shown
Set mydomain and myorigin to mydomain
Set mynetworks_style = host
Set aliases
Checked configuration and started the service
Sent a test e-mail to a gmail

I've hidden my domain and hostname as "mydomain". If it is necessary I can show it though.

Here is the output

[dx4@mydomain~]$ sendmail -vt something@gmail.com < ~/mail2.txt
Mail Delivery Status Report will be mailed to <dx4>.

mail2.txt is

Subject: Sendmail test 2
From: admin@mydomain
This is a test

and this is the report mailed to me

This is the mail system at host mydomain.
Enclosed is the mail delivery report that you requested.
The mail system
<something@gmail.com>: delivery temporarily suspended: connect to
alt4.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com[64.233.179.27]:25: Connection timed out

This is the output of telnet:

$ telnet 64.233.179.27 25
Trying 64.233.179.27...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection timed out

And this was the timeout problem I was talking about.

Last edited by dx4 (2018-09-13 12:23:37)

ugjka · 2018-09-13 12:25:37

Stab in the dark

Check whether your domain or ip address isn't blacklisted https://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

dx4 · 2018-09-13 12:28:17

Here is the result:

Checking mydomain which resolves to xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx against 102 known blacklists...
Listed 0 times with 0 timeouts

brebs · 2018-09-13 12:28:54

Perhaps your ISP is blocking port 25, to prevent spam? Ask them.

null · 2018-09-13 12:33:46

And that is exactly the reason why you should always post proper error messages and not just a vague description. We could have spend another couple of hours talking about MTA problems, but this doesn't really matter if the problem is somewhere else like in your network..

twelveeighty · 2018-09-13 15:10:09

In this day-and-age, trying to set up a private SMTP server to send emails is (in my opinion) asking for headaches, given the security, anti-spam, etc. rules and safeguards. My recommendation is to use a service such as SendinBlue, Mailjet, Mandrill, etc. Most of them have a free tier as long as you stay under a limit of sent emails (typically hundreds per day is still good). Also make sure to read up on SPF, DKIM, etc. as described on the Wiki (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ma … entication) to avoid getting blocked/banned.

dx4 · 2018-09-24 07:47:07

Yeah, it turned out to be an ISP issue. I intent to use Google's SMTP server to send e-mail as it seems to have better limits than those you mentioned @twelveeighty. Thanks for the information though.

Trilby · 2018-09-24 14:05:09

twelveeighty wrote:

In this day-and-age, trying to set up a private SMTP server to send emails is (in my opinion) asking for headaches, given the security, anti-spam, etc. rules and safeguards.

It depends a bit on the intended usage. I've set up two separate servers with postix (and friends). One was for a large business that sends a fairly high volume of mail. I did have to register as a postmaster with a few of the major mail providers' spam monitoring systems to ensure mail from our server would be accepted by theirs - but this was pretty easy. I had a minor setback when I had overlooked one provider, but that was remedied withing 24 hours of the first sent mail being rejected.

The other one is just my own personal server with an email I use regularly, but the volume (particularly outbound) is trivial compared to business email servers. This one I don't think I've done anything to register with the big email providers, and I've never had a single mail bounce back.

If you are sending small volumes - and more importantly, to limited recipients (e.g., sending server logs to your own external email account) dealing with all the above-mentioned anti-spam and security measures is a non-issue.

Of course, if you can just use an external smtp server, that's just easier overall.

twelveeighty · 2018-09-24 17:47:57

Trilby wrote:

If you are sending [...] to limited recipients (e.g., sending server logs to your own external email account) [...] is a non-issue.

Yes, I completely agree. I was perhaps too quick on the draw making the assumption that OP needed to send to 3rd party email addresses when I recommended using a service.

ngoonee · 2018-09-24 21:08:22

dx4 wrote:

Of course I was configuring each and every package after installing by the steps described in the wiki.

The meandering way this thread has progressed should give you some sort of indicator as to WHY 'of course I did this/that' isn't helpful, either for yourself or (more importantly) for the readers who volunteer their time to read posts and reply to them.

Be specific. Be detailed.

Arch Linux

#1 2018-09-13 10:21:19

Send e-mail without external smtp server

#2 2018-09-13 10:31:13

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#3 2018-09-13 10:37:04

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#4 2018-09-13 10:43:23

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#5 2018-09-13 10:54:22

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#6 2018-09-13 11:25:53

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#7 2018-09-13 11:40:41

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#8 2018-09-13 12:10:12

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#9 2018-09-13 12:19:44

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#10 2018-09-13 12:25:37

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#11 2018-09-13 12:28:17

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#12 2018-09-13 12:28:54

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#13 2018-09-13 12:33:46

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#14 2018-09-13 15:10:09

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#15 2018-09-24 07:47:07

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#16 2018-09-24 14:05:09

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#17 2018-09-24 17:47:57

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

#18 2018-09-24 21:08:22

Re: Send e-mail without external smtp server

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