[TriLUG] kmail cannot send mail

[Mike Mueller]

On Thursday 19 September 2002 14:08, H Brett Bolen wrote:
> Jon Carnes wrote:
> > That is all there is to it.
> >
> >   Settings
> >     Configure KMail
> >       Network
> >         Click on the SMTP radio button
> >         Server: smtp-server.nc.rr.com
> >         Port: 25
> >
> > Done.
> >
> > If you are setting up a new Mail client, I highly recommend Evolution.
> > It comes stock with several distributions, and I just moved over to it
> > from Kmail.
> >
> > Jon Carnes
> >
> > BTW: if you have trouble sending via SMTP then try,
> >   telnet smtp-server.nc.rr.com 25
> > You should be able to attach to a RoadRunner SMTP server.
>
> yes, that is what I have done.  the part I can't figure out is if you
> need a username and password to access the smtp server then where does
> it get this information.
>
> Lets say I have earthlink dialup ( bbolen at earthlink.com ) and
> roadrunner broadband ( brettb at nc.rr.com).  Each has a different
> password.  I can enter the pop info to recieve mail, but where
> does it get the ID and PASSWORD for sending mail.  You are able to
> select which 'identity' you are  sending the from with kmail ( in the
> compose window), but I can't see where you identify yourself to the
> smtp server.
>
> The only thing I can think of is that it uses the 'default' username
> and maybe prompts you for the password.
>
> I was at a hotel that had ethernet when I saw the error.  I've also seen
> this problem at customer sites.

I read through the SMTP protocol (quickly) and did not see a username and 
password requirement.  I changed my kmail smtp server successfully to 4 
different servers, three of which I have no known affiliation with.  Then I 
changed the SMTP server to smtp.blah.com and got a failure message.  I have 
not found a known working SMTP server that rejects my attempts to send email 
yet.  All that I can see is that SMTP looks at the IP or FQDN of the 
originator, the address of the recipient, and the address of the originator.  
I am not an SMTP amdministrator, but I am guessing that there are controls to 
widen or narrow the acceptable originator credentials.  In the long headers 
of the various email tests I performed I noticed an interesting field:

Received: from user-0c8h10s.cable.mindspring.com ([24.136.132.28] helo=there)

This came from a message I sent through smtp.mail.aol.com (with whom I've 
never had an account).   My guess is that AOL lets you use its SMTP server as 
long as you tell it exactly who you are.  As you can see above, I'm pretty 
well identified by FQDN and IP. helo is the opening message in an SMTP 
exchange.

I will venture a guess as to why there were failures at hotels with Ethernet 
LANs and at customer sites where you where perhaps a guest user:  the FQDN 
test failed in the HELO exchange.
-- 
mueller, mike

The larger purpose of the economic order, including Wall Street, is to 
support the material conditions for human existence, not to undermine and 
destabilize them.

-Editorial, The Nation, August 19, 2002