Re: Finding a replacement for my ISP's smtp server
On 27/07/2014, Paul E Condon <pecondon@mesanetworks.net> wrote:
> I've known for a long while that there was something
> strange about sending mail via my ISP. They have made
> it clear in that they do not require or use TLS. It
> occurs to me that perhaps my computer does not have
> installed the appropriate certs to function with TLS.
> How would I ever have known they were missing if they
> were not being used? So maybe their goofyness has allowed me to miss
> something that I was doing something wrong from way back when I first got
> started
> in Debian in about Y2K. Certs are used for https and
> these must be on the computer because it manages to
> connect to my banks (2) , but maybe the ones needed to do SMTP are some
> different? How can I check. I have found some instructions for using gmail
> as a smart host and I'm trying to follow them, but things are not
> working. When I press the 'y' key in mutt to send an
> email, the message 'sending...' displays in the bottom
> line, but it stays there for many minutes when it once would accept an
> email is just a few seconds. How can I
> find out what is happening during that time? Is there
> some debug tool?
>
> Thoughts or suggestions?
>
> --
> Paul
>
Hello.
1. I am not a Debian or email expert, merely a user of limited knowledge.
2. The message appears to me, to be inconsistent with the message
subject. Do you want to replace your ISP, or, are you trying to find
how to better access your ISP's SMTP server?
3. You have not stated which version of Debian, you are using. This
can be important, as one of the email applications that I use, iceape,
is, I believe, not available for Debian 7.x, and I do not know how
another; alpine, behaves with Debian 7.x.
4. Wih email, I use three different applications (I believe that I use
no more than three); for outgoing email, I use iceape, Opera, and, in
most replies to email messages, alpine. I use two different ISP's
(Internet Service Providers); one for accessing the Internet (and
thus, providing the SMTP server), and another for web sites hosting
(and thus, for the IMAP server). The ISP for the IMAP server, has
recently (causing much trouble) switched its legacy hosting from an
ISP that it had taken over, and, had instituted IMAP hosting using
TLS, and so the IMAP server in alpine (the INBOX path) had to be
changed. The SMTP server does not show, as involving TLS (I have no
idea, as to what is TLS, only that it is something that has to be
addressed in the INBOX path), and, the SMTP server address, is the
same for each of the outgoing email applications. I am unot familiar
with using mutt as an amial application, but I suggest that you try
the SMTP server address, in each of a couple of other email
applications, for example, download and instal Opera, and (if
applicable) iceape, set up mail accounts, with the SMTP server address
that you are now using, and, send to yourself (to a gmail account, for
example), test messages, via each of the email applicatoions, and,
examine the time taken to send each message.
5. I note that your message does not indicate whether the delays in
sending, are for every message, are regular, or, are occasional. Such
information, is important. I occasionally get delays, and, sometimes,
timeouts, when sending messages, and I assume that it is due to the
SMTP server, or, one of the nodes between here and the SMTP server,
being busy.
I hope that this is helpful.
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............
"So once you do know what the question actually is,
you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A Trilogy In Four Parts",
written by Douglas Adams,
published by Pan Books, 1992
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