My Thunderbird (3.1.7) works great - except for one thing:
when outside the office I have to use VPN to reach our mail server; works fine for incoming mail, but for some reason the outgoing mail SMTP-server cannot be accessed! We compared this with a stand alone installation of the same Thunderbird version and the SMTP-connection works for colleagues that use standalone version but not in the portable installation. Any ideas for the cause - and any solutions?
Otto, Kuopio, Finland
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Difficult, but I assume that both tests were done over same VPN, same path simply. As the executable itself is same, there might be somethig to the setings only.
Do you get any messages?
Time out with smtp is not uncommon.
But are all the setting really the same?
Same ports etc?
Assume you can ping the server from same computer running the test?
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Dear Otto
Thank you for your fast reply & nice to get to know a namesake J
Here is the full error message I get sending e-mail via the VPN:
"Send Message Error:
Sending of message failed.
The SMTP server exhub1.stakes.fi does not support the selected authentication method. Please change the 'Authentication method' in the 'Account Settings | Outgoing Server (SMTP)'"
My Authentication method used is "Any secure method (depriciated)"; it works from my institute LAN but not through the VPN. Thunderbird (standalone) with these settings is the standard configuration for all users at the institute, as well as the VPN and configuration for remote access; our IT support as well as myself (a bit earlier) have tested the functionality of the SMTP-connection from standalon Thunderbird and only myself, the clever guy with this portable setup, am experiencing the problem. The Thunderbird versions are the same, so it really seems that the portable launcher configuration somehow causes this problem with the authentication... any ideas?
Best regards from Kuopio
Otto
the authentication when secured, will need to work in exact timing. I had so far only rather bad experience with secure authentication.
Either the firewall was confused by this, other time the server itself.
I can not say definitely why only the portable version produces such problems, as I mentioned I still believe it is some single setting somewhere, since I have also spent days in searching for such strange things and found out later that I just set something differently.
What ports are you using? Are you communicating via the VPN directly with the mail server? Or just with your institute server and from there then to the mail server?
I would simply start with simple things. Set all the authentication to the mast basic. Try just port 587 and no ssl for the moment. The authentication itself will be anyway scrambled this way, no clear text password etc transmitted. If ok, then try the 'wrong' port 465 and tick ssl one by one other encryptions as well.
Many encryption procedures fail often when communicating via some proxy. I had experience, that while I was able to use things via normal wired connection, failed often using simple ssl on some websites when communication via a proxy like those which are used by mobile phone operators.
Example here: the port 465 and ssl will work here from my DSL wired account with my smtp server, it refuses to work when connected via UMTS mobile network.
Just cheked on my TB 317:
Try set port 587, STARTTLS if avail, Password unsecure
By this, you set up encrypted connection and password is less secured , but so what, you VPN and encrypted connection within that as well. I so far did not meet any public smtp server being properly able to use encrypted authentication.
You can try the 465 ssl connection too, TB2.x does not support STARTTLS so I am using there ssl, thought some mail server operators do not like this setup, since 465 is used also for other things apparently.
But for older servers ssl is practical this way.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland