Electronic Betrayals

[rolanni]

So, among the several upsets attendant upon yesterday was coming home to find that my email -- and, more importantly, SRM's email -- has gone wonky. Mail is delivered, but -- we can't send anything out. The claim is that the SMTP server is not findable, spiced with an allegation that our mail servers are misconfigured. Since I haven't done anything to my mail server's configuration in years, I spit upon this allegation.

Still...if you've sent email to SRM Publisher or to Steve or to me -- we probably have it. We treasure it. We just can't answer it. Hopefully, we'll get it straightened out today.

And, now -- to the day job!

Comments

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

OK, *you* didn't change the settings, but did *they*??

My ISP did that once -- changed the SMTP settings so that my mail went bad.

smtp or authenticated smtp?

[mothadventures.livejournal.com]

Maybe this will help? (or if Steve has fixed it already, well, nevermind.)

Making assumptions here about your email...I assume you're using some kind of ISP as your smtp server connection to the outside world.

To try and combat spam, many of them are no longer using plain smtp; they are instead using authenticated smtp. But they are not always good about telling users when they are making this change....

Your problem could be as simple as needing to change your mail configurations from, say, using "smtp.isp.com" to "smtpauth.isp.com". And maybe saying to use a different port, say 587 instead of 25. You might have to add a username and password somewhere, too, depending on how you are connected to the outside network.

I went through this with Earthlink last year. Was only difficult because the software on my end is very, very old. But we did eventually get it to work.

Good luck!

--Susan

[baggette.livejournal.com]

I have been through this twice in the last six months. It is most aggravating! Both times, I spent HOURS on the phone with my ISP. Both times, I ending up having to shut off, un plug, reconfigure, re-boot, dis-connect, re-connect, and finally re-install fire walls. It is NOT your computer. Good LUCK!

[kimuro.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem recently - for no discernible reason at all.
(kept getting the message "No. Socket Error: 10053, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F")

To fix it, I had to change my mail account properties to "my server requires authentication"(under TOOLS/ACCOUNTS/PROPERTIES/SERVERS) and "out-going mail (SMTP) port 587" (under TOOLS/ACCOUNTS/PROPERTIES/ADVANCED) before I could send mail again.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I had that with (then) NTL cable. Suddenly all of my outgoing mail failed. I called them, they swore that they hadn't changed anything, it must be my end. Eventually I solved it by telnet into port 25 on their SMTP server, and lo and behold it had suddenly decided that it wanted authentication! So I ended up writing my own SMTP client (sendmail replacement) because I couldn't get exim's configuration to do the weird authentication they wanted (they wanted the HELO/EHLO parameter to be my ISP username instead of my domain name as well as MD5 authentication!).

So yet another piece of custom software on my machine, at least since I wrote it I can modify it...

[dhw.livejournal.com]

Oh NO!

I found an incredibly elegant proof that a^n + b^n = c^n is never true where N > 2, but right after I emailed it to you, I lost the original in a hard drive crash...

((No mathematicians were harmed in the writing of this joke))

email sabotage? an exercise in alliteration.

[(Anonymous)]

One thing to check: Many viruses and trojans find their greatest joy in life, realize their validation of existence, their purpose for being, fulfilled by screwing with your email server settings.

If they can't suborne said servers so as to send someone spam, they're content to cause certain catastrophe and consternation by cutting off your central communication channels. cheers!:)

- JessCat