Sending mail bounces back if the recipient is external to our network.

[Jason Maddern]

We currently want to send emails from some of our routines to email addresses outside of our company network.
we issue the command
mail/subj="blah" nl: "smtp%email_address"

This works on the internal network, but gets bounced when trying to send to an address outside our company.

The Alpha is on an internal network address so I think the exchange server of the other company can't resolve it?

Can we force the email to go via our exchange server?

[P Muralidhar Kini]

Hi Jason,

Is the SMTP enabled/configured ?
By default the SMTP protocol does not get enabled.
You need to manually do it using $SYS$MANAGER:TCPIP$CONFIG.COM.

Provide the output of -
$TCPIP SHOW CONFIG SMTP

Regards,
Murali

[Andy Bustamante]

>>>gets bounced

Does this mean you're getting a return message from the outside server or is this some other issue.

Assuming the outside server isn't allowing your message, is your system registered with a reverse DNS lookup to the same domain you're sending from? See

$ help set config smtp /SUBSTITUTE_DOMAIN

for one option of chaning this. You'll need to check with your networking folks to see what outside address the Alpha uses.

[Hoff]

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?hreadId=1357335

[Paul Jerrom]

'Howdy,

>>we issue the command
mail/subj="blah" nl: "smtp%email_address"
What about a standard email address, ie "fred.brown@gmail.com" without the SMTP% ?

>>This works on the internal network, but gets bounced when trying to send to an address outside our company.
How do you know? What is the message? Where does it come from? Is the message leaving your server, or not getting that far?

>>The Alpha is on an internal network address so I think the exchange server of the other company can't resolve it?
Is it getting as far as the other company?

>>Can we force the email to go via our exchange server?
Yes. But there are a myriad of unknowns here - VMS version, TCPIP stack and version and patches, SMTP settings, phase of the moon...
What SMTP settings do you have at present? Which server are you going out via? Is it set up to relay mail from you?

It's hard enough for you to set it up, and you are there and have access to all the info!

Have fun

PeeJay

[Paul Jerrom]

Hoff, you left out a 't' from your url:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1357335

PeeJay

[Phil.Howell]

Read up on Alternate Gateway and MX records
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/83final/6526/6526pro_042.html
Set the alternate gateway to your exchange server, and restart SMTP
Test it using telnet 25
as described in this
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/153119

Phil

[Bob Blunt]

Jason, in addition to the standard questions about system type, O/S version, UCX/TCPIP and the IP configuration...it would be MOST helpful to have a look at any messages that might be returning to your VMS-based system that originated your email. AND, of course, has this ever worked before or is this a new requirement that was "just expected to work?"

Those messages will have your most important clues to solving the problem. Without the information in the error messages we're all, basically, guessing. To answer your question about using your Exchange server? If that's your corporate SMTP gateway then the answer should be a qualified yes. If it isn't then you need to find out what gateway is used. There might even be some configuration required at the gateway to allow those emails to get through or other firewall issues.

bob

[Jason Maddern]

Thankyou all for the quick responses. I think the email IS going out via our exchange server, just being bounced back from the destination addresses server. (Which they claim it wasn't.)
Attached is a log with the names etc.. changed so someone could confirm this.

[Joseph Huber_1]

The log shows that the sending addresses (from,reply) specify *.local domain names, and consequently are rejected by the receiver.
Either the gateway and/or the sending VMS SMTP must be set up to provide a replyable sender address.
In TCPIP services for VMS this is done through the SUBSTITUTE DOMAIN and ZONE SMTP settings.