topic Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails in Operating System - OpenVMS

Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:01:43 GMT

Two systems from where we would like to send e-mails to the administrators with the result of the backup and so on.

The first system is a DS15 with OpenVMS 7.3-2 and TCP/IP Services 5.4-15 ECO6. Here it is possible to send e-mails to the MS Exchange Server (which has no firewall or other restrictions, the Windows guys told me). I just enabled the SMTP Client component in the TCPIP$CONFIG and that was it...

The second system is a OpenVMS Cluster with two ES40 with OpenVMS 7.3-2 and TCP/IP Services 5.4-15 ECO6. Setup the same way as the DS15. When I am sending a mail with the mail utility there is no error or something else. It looks good, but the mail never shows up on the Exchange Server...

I tried to define logicals as mentioned in the TCP/IP Manuals and using the SMTP% prefix for the e-mail address. The e-mails disappears and goes somehow to the "Data Nirvana". Using different SHOW and ANALYZE commands didn't help.

Does someone have a "How-to" Setup a SMTP Client or Tips & Tricks for me? Thanks in advance

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

labadie_1 — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:19:01 GMT

Hello

Can you post
$ tcpip show conf smtp/full

Do you have a gateway defined (general or alternate) ?

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Heinz W Genhart — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:24:00 GMT

Hi Adrian

We are using SMTP Mails as well to send Mails to an Exchange Server. My SMTP Config looks as follows:

$ tcpip sho conf smtp

SMTP Configuration
Options
Initial interval: 0 00:30:00.00 Address_max: 16 EIGHT_BIT
Retry interval: 0 01:00:00.00 Hop_count_max: 16 RELAY
Maximum interval: 3 00:00:00.00 TOP_HEADERS

Timeout Initial Mail Receipt Data Terminate
Send: 5 5 5 3 10
Receive: 5

Alternate gateway: your.exchange.server.here
General gateway: eventually.also.here

Substitute domain: not defined
Zone: not defined

Postmaster: TCPIP$SMTP
Log file: SYS$SPECIFIC:[TCPIP$SMTP]TCPIP$SMTP_LOGFILE.LOG

Generic queue Queues Participating nodes

TCPIP$SMTP_GDC00Y_00 1 GDC00Y

This works fine for us. We had problems before too, sending mails, because the Exchange Guys can have a list with hosts, which are able to send mails. Maybe your nodes are missing on this list

Hope that helps

Regards

Geni

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

labadie_1 — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:24:20 GMT

And if you want to talk to the Exchange server, do

$ Tcpip SET CONFIG SMTP/GATEWAY=ALT=Exchange_server
$ tcpip STOP MAIL
$ tcpip START MAIL

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Phil.Howell — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:46:19 GMT

on each system
$ tcpip show route
$ tcpip show mail
$ tcpip show config smtp
$ tcpip show mx_record

then set up logical names
$ DEFINE/SYSTEM TCPIP$SMTP_LOG_LEVEL 3
$ DEFINE/SYSTEM TCPIP$SMTP_SYMB_TRACE 1
(stop and start smtp to activate)

use telnet on port 25 to test as in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/153119

check reply codes from
http://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/2000/05/21/smtp-replies.html

examine logs in [TCPIP$SMTP]

Phil

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:01:09 GMT

Following the output of the system not working:

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:03:54 GMT

This is the output of the system working...:

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Heinz W Genhart — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:17:25 GMT

Hi Adrian

I assume, that you changed the real name of your Exchange server in the output file for security reasons.

I assume that in real you did something like

$ TCPIP SET CONF SMTP/GATE=ALTER=172.16.x.y

or

$ TCPIP SET CONF SMTP/GATE=ALTER=real.dns-name.ofYourExchangeServer

After Changing the SMTP configuration you have to restart SMTP (@sys$startup:tcpip$smtp_shutdown and after @sys$startup:tcpip$smtp_startup)

Does for example the file _$1$DGA1:[SYSCOMMON.SYSMGR]08053013145194_SYSTEM-20200D91.TCPIP_HOST1;1 exists? (It's reported by Opcom). If yes, is the file accessible for the user TCPIP$SMTP

Regards

Geni

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:40:00 GMT

Sorry for the delay - I am getting ready for vaccation...

I owe you some answers.

Unfortunately my problem comes not from the Exchange Server. It works well using the Telnet on port 25...

Defining the SMTP Gateway I used both

once

$ TCPIP SET CONF SMTP/GATE=ALTER=172.16.x.y

and

$ TCPIP SET CONF SMTP/GATE=ALTER=real.dns-name.ofYourExchangeServer

The file _$1$DGA1:[SYSCOMMON.SYSMGR]08053013145194_SYSTEM-20200D91.TCPIP_
HOST1;1
exists with the same file security settings as on the system where it works. It desn't help if I set the permissions or the ownership to the TCPIP$SMTP User...

I noticed that in the TCPIP$SMTP_LOGFILE.LOG something is written about a CF. Further there seems to be an option for CF-Debug which is set to false. (See my last post on the not working system) How can I set the CF-Debug option to true?

Since the system not working is a cluster - do I need to do the new settings on both nodes? So far it didn't help...

Thanks for the tips so far!

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:02:23 GMT

The answer to my problem was, that there is something odd with the mail utility setup for the SYSTEM user on the cluster. As a work around i am using a new user just for the system health check that is e-mailing the results to my Windows workstation.

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Art Wiens — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:49:08 GMT

Invoke VMS Mail and enter a MAIL> SHOW ALL to see what's (mis)configured for SYSTEM user. Any clues there?

Cheers,
Art

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Adrian Gehrig — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:31:59 GMT

The SHOW ALL command shows the same except for the "Your mail file directory", "Current mail file" and the mail count...

Re: Not able to send SMTP Mails

Heinz W Genhart — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:57:18 GMT

Hi Adrian

It's possible that the system account has a mail forwarding address set which is not correct. You may check this with
$ mail
MAIL> show forward /user=system

Regards

Geni