[Info-vax] "SEND MAIL" doesn't send mail, mail stays in queue

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2018-01-22 18:33:10 +0000, Marco Beishuizen said:

> I'm trying to use MAIL on my DEC PWS600au running OpenVMS 8.4. SMTP is 
> enabled and running. The MAIL program seems to work. I used "SET 
> CONFIGURATION SMTP" to set the mail gateway to the ISP mail server. 
> There are no error messages.
> 
> Problem is that when entering a mail message and sending it, nothing 
> happens. The mail messages stay in the mail queue forever.
> 
> Am I missing something?

The existing mail server logs will usually give some details on why the 
connections are being rejected.  Start there.   Probably an 
authentication error, as a guess.    While it's usually easiest to use 
the gateway settings to route all outbound mail to a "newer" mail 
server, there's no authentication support available with that, short of 
add-on (replacement) software, or (easier) setting up a local relay via 
Postfix or some other mail server and from there along to the ISP.

Though I suspect it's not the case here, if you're trying to send SMTP 
mail directly, please post your domain and somebody can check DNS 
forward and reverse and MX settings for you.  That information is 
already known to anybody watching DNS, and the spammers and the rest of 
the gremlins routinely scan for and already already have those and 
other details and are already poking at any open TCP port 25 they find 
on the 'net.   Usually within minutes, lately.   If you're shy about 
posting that domain data, verify that forward and reverse DNS are valid.

Be aware that the default behavior for TCP/IP Services SMTP with either 
problems in the configuration file or no configuration file is as an 
open relay and with no errors displayed.

Or start reading the backlog of discussions, starting with the following:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.os.vms/EKI3G_O9fEk/bJIPUvmoz_QJ
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.os.vms/wbdmJuNJb0M/waXG7aXm8BcJ

There are issues with the installation, as well.   TCP/IP Services 
lacks encryption support for client access, lacks STARTTLS and other 
details, and contending with spam invariably involves add-on pieces; 
there's little that's integrated.


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