Citadel Configuration

[trentscott4]

Yea Comcast blocks port 25. I think I'm able to get around that using a Smart Host in Citadel with myuser:mypass@smtp.comcast.net:587 which is a secure port instead of 25. Still no luck on the receiving end though, but I can send.

[Lars Noodén]

Yea Comcast blocks port 25. I think I'm able to get around that using a Smart Host in Citadel with myuser:mypass@smtp.comcast.net:587 which is a secure port instead of 25. Still no luck on the receiving end though, but I can send.

Could you point the MX record to the smart host on the outside? You might be able to set it to spool the incoming mail and then have the blocked machine (which can access out) connect periodically and get the incoming mail.

[trentscott4]

Interesting idea... Comcast has two separate servers for their mail --- smtp.comcast.net and mail.comcast.net. Which of these should I set? My blocked machine can send outbound using the smarthost, I just can't receive. Can you explain spooling a little further... sounds like a good idea?

[Lars Noodén]

Look into how MX works. It's designed for failover so that you can have several machines, either peers or some with priority, receiving mail. That way if part of the net is down or one machine is down the mail still goes through. The machines would have to have STMP servers running and keeping the mail until the blocked machine is available.

The blocked machine could contact outside machines with SMTP, or create a reverse tunnel and the outside machines could then contact the blocked machine 'directly'.

Fetchmail is probably not the right tool for the job in this particular instance, but a look through the Fetchmail FAQ might help give an idea about what is going on behind the scenes.

                        =
            +-----------=----->  STMP
           /            =
imaps<--citadel         =
          | \           =
          |  +----------------<  SMTP (MX 0)
          |             =
          +-------------=-----<  SMTP (MX 10)
                        =

Citadel is a composite of many programs including a mail server. Which mail server (MTA) have you chosen to run inside? Postfix?

[AntiBodies]

Mainly in respose to "Yea Comcast blocks port 25. I think I'm able to get around that using a Smart Host in Citadel...". Like you have noticed smart hosting is great for sending mail which I expect to work fine.

How are all the mail servers out there supposed to know where to send your email eg username@mydomain.com?? they use a MX record which is part of your DNS zone file for the mydomain.com domain. this has to point to a server that is ready to recieve mail for mydomain.com and knows what to do with it (put it in a mailbox etc). unfortunately you pointing the MX to comcast servers etc isnt going to do jack unless they know what to do with mail sent to mydomain.com.

IF mydomain.com is purchased from them and they manage the mail already for mydomain.com for you then they do know what to do with it. they will put it in a mailbox (on their servers) and expect you to access it from either IMAP or POP. This is where fetchmail can be used to give the illusion of a local mail server while using another service (in this case comcast as the ISP) as the mail receiver, as fetchmail on a regular basis can go out to another mailbox and retrieve the mail by POP and put it in the local server mailbox (which probably is then accessed via IMAP).

if no mail server knows about mydomain.com you have no choice you need some server on the outside to receive this email or request to get port 25 (incoming) opened by Comcast so then you can point the MX record directly at you local server for receiving the mail.