# Any way to install SMTP when port 25 is blocked?



## jcbarr (Dec 17, 2003)

My ISP blocks port 25 and of course we know that SMTP uses port 25 to send mail and communicate with other mail servers.

Does anyone know of any way to actually install SMPT and allow my server to send mail out when port 25 is blocked?

I have been searching the internet but I have yet to find anything that is easily followed.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

You want to install your own SMTP server and have _it_ send your mail to get around port 25 blocking? I would see if you could opt-out of port 25 blocking. AT&T/SBC DSL provides an opt-out of port 25 blocking and other ISPs might do the same. Comcast, apparently, doesn't. Alternatively, if the mail server you wanna use can accept connections via TLS or SSL, you could switch to using either of those and connect to the server on those default ports (587 for SSL I think and I forget what the port is for TLS, 465 or something like that).

Peace...


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## zacke (Oct 4, 2007)

Is the server Linux or Windows?
What daemon are you using?


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## jcbarr (Dec 17, 2003)

Windows server using IIS 6.

What I want to do is simple. I'm running a phpnuke site, and in order for users to get their confirmation emails when they sign up I have to have a mail server running. I have gone round and round trying to figure out how to get the php mail() function to work, but have come to the conclusion that the server on which the site is hosted must at the very least have the SMTP service installed and running so that the function can send out the mail.

I don't want to "get around" port 25 blocking, I just want my scripts to be able to send mail. And with the way that my ISP is set up it won't work. They block any port 25 traffic to stop spammers.


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## Daredeval756 (Dec 11, 2006)

no-ip.org offers a service to allow you to get around it, or change the ports that it uses?

Im assuming your using xampp, so mercury, its very easy to change them.


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## Memnoch322 (May 11, 2005)

Use the ISP's smtp server as a relay. You probably already have a username and password from the ISP, use these to authenticate with there smtp server and send away.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

jcbarr said:


> What I want to do is simple. I'm running a phpnuke site, and in order for users to get their confirmation emails when they sign up I have to have a mail server running. I have gone round and round trying to figure out how to get the php mail() function to work, but have come to the conclusion that the server on which the site is hosted must at the very least have the SMTP service installed and running so that the function can send out the mail.


Ok.



> I don't want to "get around" port 25 blocking, I just want my scripts to be able to send mail. And with the way that my ISP is set up it won't work. They block any port 25 traffic to stop spammers.


Gotcha. The problem is, if your SMTP server tries to connect to some other SMTP server on port 25, the port 25 block by your ISP will still be a problem for you.

Here is the PHP doc on the mail() function. It describes these two options which sound like they should work for you:



> Here's a short explanation of the configuration directives.
> 
> SMTP string
> Used under Windows only: host name or IP address of the SMTP server PHP should use for mail sent with the mail() function.
> ...


What happens if you configure SMTP to be your ISPs SMTP server and smtp_port as 25?

Peace...


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## Memnoch322 (May 11, 2005)

This is a simple solution, you have to use the ISP's SMTP server. I have encountered this many times before. If they will not unblock it to your IP, you must relay through theres.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

Memnoch322 said:


> This is a simple solution, you have to use the ISP's SMTP server. I have encountered this many times before. If they will not unblock it to your IP, you must relay through theres.


Hopefully, the PHP SMTP options above will allow him to do just that if he decides not to or can't opt out of port 25 blocking.

Peace...


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## jcbarr (Dec 17, 2003)

I have set PHP to use my ISP's mail server which, ironically does not require any sort of authentication to send mail. I have set it to use port 25 but still no mail flows outside of the server.

I also tried to load Argosoft Mail Server and play around with that. PHP sends the mail, I see it sit in the queue but it cannot get out anywhere. The problem is that if you are not using port 25 for SMTP service then the majority of other mail servers out there will not talk to yours, essentially making it impossible to send mail.

The weirdest thing about this whole problem is that I uninstalled windows SMTP service, and I have no mail server loaded at all, but gmail accounts can receive the confirmation email...


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

jcbarr said:


> I have set PHP to use my ISP's mail server which, ironically does not require any sort of authentication to send mail. I have set it to use port 25 but still no mail flows outside of the server.


Ok., Do you get any kind of message (error or otherwise) returned or does the message just not go through?



> I also tried to load Argosoft Mail Server and play around with that. PHP sends the mail, I see it sit in the queue but it cannot get out anywhere. The problem is that if you are not using port 25 for SMTP service then the majority of other mail servers out there will not talk to yours, essentially making it impossible to send mail.


Makes sense. What if you found another mail server that listens on some other port and use _that_ as a SMTP relay of some kind. If you can't use your ISP's mail server as a SMTP relay, you're probably gonna be stuck.



> The weirdest thing about this whole problem is that I uninstalled windows SMTP service, and I have no mail server loaded at all, but gmail accounts can receive the confirmation email...


Really? How is the mail being sent? The gmail accounts can receive e-mail sent my your PHP app?

Peace...


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## rainforest123 (Dec 29, 2004)

For this issue, are you on the same classified network as you are on for your issue of accessing a site on a classified network using IE 6? 

RF123


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## jcbarr (Dec 17, 2003)

Nope, this issue is a completely personal one from home. You wouldn't have an ISP on a classified network...

Anyhow, I think I am stuck. I can't get around the port 25 blockage, I don't think.

I did however just change ISPs so now I guess I will have to find out if this one does the same thing. I'm assuming so as I had to set my outgoing mail server to the ISPs server in order to get my outlook to be able to send mail.

If I do come up with some sort of solution I will post it back here.


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## jcbarr (Dec 17, 2003)

tomdkat said:


> Really? How is the mail being sent? The gmail accounts can receive e-mail sent my your PHP app?
> 
> Peace...


To be honest I have no idea. But it does work. I saw that a user had signed up successfully and then I asked him if he had gotten the confirmation email and he stated that he did.

So I went and signed up using my gmail account and low and behold I got the email as well. Absolutely no idea how in the world that worked.


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