ComBox won't send email

twistedtree
twistedtree Solar Expert Posts: 135 ✭✭✭
in Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum #1
I'm installing a Conext Combox and for some reason it's not sending emails.  I have the TCP settings all set - IP address, gateway, DNS server, etc.  And I have my smtp server name, user name, and password set with authentication enabled.  I'm using port 587.  All these same settings work fine from my laptop, but the Combox is not able to send a test email.  Unfortunately it doesn't provide any error log or other feedback to suggest where the problem is.   The only difference between the Combox settings and my laptop email is that my laptop uses SSL where that's not an option for the combox.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,

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Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,637 admin
    #2
    Who is your isp (internet service provider) or email host (Google or similar).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • twistedtree
    twistedtree Solar Expert Posts: 135 ✭✭✭
    #3
    It's a hosting service that I've been using for years.  Standard IMAP and SMTP services.  For kicks I tried a different ISP's SMTP server and it works, so there is some difference between the SMTP services, and how each interacts with the ComBox.  I'll let you know if I figure out anything new.

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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    how about latency?  Do a "tracert " from a com box...
     
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,637 admin
    #5
    You might try a different port address:

    https://www.fastmail.com/help/technical/ssltlsstarttls.html
    • SMTP uses port 25, but SSL/TLS encrypted SMTP uses port 465.
    What does the Combox say it supports if not SSL (encrypted SMTP?)?

    -Bill


    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • twistedtree
    twistedtree Solar Expert Posts: 135 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Problem solved, and it had nothing to do with the ComBox or the various SMTP servers that I have access to.  The problem was/is that somewhere on my ISP's ISP's network there is an exposed 192.168.0.x subnet.  Private networks, which 192.168.x.x are by definition, are supposed to always be hidden behind NAT or a proxy server.  Yet there is an exposed one, and it happened to overlap with my local LAN address range.  Duplicate IP address are a big problem, and I had been experiencing odd behavior for a couple of days.  My ISP did all sorts of things trying to fix it, but nothing worked.  Just last night, for kicks, I changed by LAN to a different subnet and tried pinging 192.168.0.1 and guess what?  I got a response.  That should never happen, and if I remember my IP stuff correctly, it's a major problem.  Traceroute narrowed down where it is, but it's now in my ISP's hands.  I've just gone and changed all my LAN gear permanently to a different subnet in the mean time, and for the first time in about 2 weeks it is working properly, including ComBox emails...
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,637 admin
    #7
    That is a pain... Although, I am trying to understand how "your internal network IP address" would leak out past the router. In theory (not that I am a network engineer) it would take a DNS mapping a URL/name to tell your router to map your IP address off of the router (i.e., www.xyz.com=>192.168.0.1) to an Internet address in the wild.

    And, either the ISP assigned the address dynamically, or set it statically (or the customer set it statically).

    Is there something on your router which would taken some IP address of your local network, off router?

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • twistedtree
    twistedtree Solar Expert Posts: 135 ✭✭✭
    #8
    It wasn't my address that leaked out - it was someone else's  Assuming my rusty IP knowledge serves me correctly, you should never be able to ping or otherwise access a 192.168.x.x address other than your own.  They should all be hidden behind proxy servers or NAT servers.  When one is exposed, it creates a routing conflict with your own private IP network.

    My internet service is via a very small outfit that has a network of point-to-point wifi stations, and based on Traceroute I think the exposed private network is in their network somewhere, but I'm not 100% sure.  I'm coming to believe this outfit is in over their head and really doesn't know what they are doing as their service seems to have a lot of problem.  DSL is just recently available in my area and I'm exploring getting that, but it means burying 2500' of conduit to get from the last pole to my house, so It's a big project.
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