smtp and Groupwise

[Greg Jorgensen]

"Brad" <blosh at tsbrass.com> wrote in message
news:91dtck$fgo$1 at nnrp1.deja.com...
> I am having a problem sending an email using smtplib.  we have an HPUX
10.20
> box and a novell server with groupwise for our pobox.  from unix, i am
trying
> to send an email using by smtp server on the novell server which works if
it
> is in house, not if it out house.  what am i overlooking?  tried the same
> thing from windows, same result....

One possibility: SMTP servers are often configured to reject connections
from networks or hosts they don't know. They also usually reject mail that
is not from a trusted host or network, or not addressed to a host or domain
the mail server accepts mail for. Mail servers that accept mail from
anywhere and send mail to anywhere are called open relays, and they are
considered a bad thing because spammers use them.

>From your outside machine try telnetting to the mail server on port 25 (SMTP
port) to see if it accepts your connection (stuff you type follows > in
example below):

> telnet my.mail.server 25
220 *** server name, etc.
> HELO your.workstation.name
250 ...

If you get this far the SMTP server is accepting your connection. If you
don't get this far you'll have to talk to your mail server administrator to
see if they can open the mail server up for you to use from outside.

--
Greg Jorgensen
Deschooling Society
Portland, Oregon, USA
gregj at pobox.com