Dear list,

i have a sendmail problem, and i hope you can me.

My server runs ESMTP Sendmail 8.13.4/8.13.4/Debian-3sarge1. I have
squirrel-mail as a webmailer, and it works great. i can send and
receive emails without problems.

i can also receive emails with thunderbird, but i can't send emails.
Whenever i want to send an email, the username/password-dialog pops up;
i enter my password, but always get an "authentication denied" error.

The mail.log file on the server says:

Sep 17 12:47:30 echo982 sm-mta[18345]: k8HAlCpt018345:
p5496A01B.dip0.t-ipconnect.de [84.150.160.27] did not issue
MAIL/EXPN/VRFY/ETRN
during connection to MTA-v4

I searched google for this message, but it seems to be a rather generic
error message.

Next thing i tried was to telnet to port 25, and it worked! i issued
HELO/MAIL FROM/RCPT TO/DATA and the mail was sent.

Next thing i did was installing ethereal and looking at the packages
which were sent by Thunderbird. The following data was sent:
EHLO
AUTO PLAIN XXXX
-> 535 5.7.0 authentication failed
AUTH LOGIN
-> 334 VXNlcm5hbWU6
message body
-> 445 UGFzc34dvcmQ6
message body
-> 535 5.7.0 authentication failed

I used a base64-decoder for the XXXX authentication string and it's my
correct name/password.

I'm getting a bad feeling now - when i telnet to port 25 and just send
the message, obviously no authentication is requested from the server,
and i can send any mail.

But when authentication is requested, it always fails.

BTW, i tested ALL thunderbird settings - "use secore connection:
No/TLS, if available/TLS/SSL".

Any appreciated.

Chris

cruppstahl wrote:

> i have a sendmail problem, and i hope you can me.
>
> My server runs ESMTP Sendmail 8.13.4/8.13.4/Debian-3sarge1. I have
> squirrel-mail as a webmailer, and it works great. i can send and
> receive emails without problems.
>
> i can also receive emails with thunderbird, but i can't send emails.
> Whenever i want to send an email, the username/password-dialog pops up;
> i enter my password, but always get an "authentication denied" error.
[snip]
> Next thing i tried was to telnet to port 25, and it worked! i issued
> HELO/MAIL FROM/RCPT TO/DATA and the mail was sent.

So your sendmail seems to be not configured to use authentication.

> Next thing i did was installing ethereal and looking at the packages
> which were sent by Thunderbird. The following data was sent:
> EHLO
> AUTO PLAIN XXXX
> -> 535 5.7.0 authentication failed
> AUTH LOGIN
> -> 334 VXNlcm5hbWU6
> message body
> -> 445 UGFzc34dvcmQ6
> message body
> -> 535 5.7.0 authentication failed

Yep, it doesn't understand authentication.

[snip]
> BTW, i tested ALL thunderbird settings - "use secore connection:
> No/TLS, if available/TLS/SSL".

Those are transport not authentications.

Below the configurations for your account(s) there is a section for
"Outgoing Server (SMTP)", edit the server options and un-check "Use
name and password".

HTH
--
René Berber

René,

now that was really a simple solution. It works now.

Thank you very much!
Chris