can't retrieve mail from localhost

[Cadillac84]

Hi,

I hope this is the correct forum for this Q.

I have searched first (over and over), I'm totally befuddled, and I hope someone here can help.

I'm running SuSE 8 (2.4.18-4GB) on an i586 which is connected to a LAN via eth1 (192.168.40.0/24) and to the outside world via eth0 ==> ADSL (static IP)

I am using iptables with a script that I developed with lots of help from mychl and it works wonderfully.

I am using Exim-4.10 which has been very little trouble to compile and set up. Each user has a mailbox on the host (192.168.40.1) and I can sit at the terminal and use su to "become" each user in turn. From the terminal, using Pine, I can do all the things a mail user would like to do:

create & send mail to other users on the system
create & send mail to other users in the world
receive mail from other users on the system, and
receive mail from other users in the world.

Therefore, I KNOW that my IP is routable, my domain dns points to my IP, and my Westel router/modem is passing mail IN and OUT.

The only problem I am having is that I have to do this at the terminal (or via ssh from a remote terminal).

My users are very particular about sitting at their OWN DESKS!! (Imagine that!!) -- "picky, picky, picky" is what *I* say!

That would be OK, but they all speak MS-Windoze. So, I decided to equip each of them with Eudora 5.2 for Windoze (I rejected Outlook & Outlook Express because I'm convinced (paranoid) that O & OE are "neon" targets for miscreants and virus engineers.)

Once upon a time, when I had this same system on ADSL with a different provider, all of this worked. I could use Eudora to send and retrieve mail from a Windoze desktop.

I really don't know what happened. I *have* performed online updates of my SuSE O/S, and that may be where the problem is.

I'm in over my head, and I could use some advice.

Exim is doing its job.
Mail is passing through the router/modem to the outside world.
Mail is passing between local mailboxes on the local Linux host.
Every user has a uid/pw on the Linux host ("Steve")
I can ssh to "Steve" from any machine on the private network.
I can ssh to "Steve" from my home (also static IP which my iptables explicity accepts for ssh).
I do not run telnet.

I have tried OE just to see if it would work (to see if it was a Eudora problem, but Eudora DID work before, so that's not likely). OE didn't work either.

I'm crying here -- and the tears don't look good on my gray stubble. (Plus, I have enough wrinkles already!)

?????

TIA
Chuck Moore

[bwkaz]

You're running a mail server (an SMTP server), exim.

Are you also running a POP3 or IMAP server? exim doesn't do that... Make sure that when you do run one or more of these, that they only listen on the private interface (or just block off the POP3 -- 110 -- and IMAP --143, 220, 585, & 993 -- ports at your firewall).

What error are you getting from Eudora?

[JohnT]

Not an answer to your question but you might want try out Pegasus Mail client for Win one the internets oldest and most elaborate...........http://pmail.com/

[Cadillac84]

Originally posted by bwkaz
Are you also running a POP3 or IMAP server?

Right. I was running imap but I just removed it and installed qpopper instead. Couple of reasons for doing that: qpopper by Qualcomm and Eudora by Qualcomm -- could be a good match; and just trying something different. I may somehow have messed up the imap settings or not understood how to "talk" to it. If I later reinstall it, chances are it will overwrite whatever I may have done wrong.

Originally posted by bwkaz
Make sure that when you do run one or more of these, that they only listen on the private interface (or just block off the POP3 -- 110 -- and IMAP --143, 220, 585, & 993 -- ports at your firewall).

Good idea. I've gotten fairly handy with iptables, so I'll do that. Also I have the setup manual from Qualcomm for qpopper which I will look at today.

Originally posted by bwkaz
What error are you getting from Eudora?

I can't remember right now, but it was an authentication message. I pasted the message into an Advanced Search on Google and came up with a bunch of Eudora "hits." However, I then tried Outlook Express 6 and had similar results. When I tried turning authentication off, it still didn't work (perhaps the server didn't like that.

Anyway, you've given me some ideas which I will try out today and tomorrow and I'll come back and tell you what I found out.

Thanks for responding.

P.S. I think the Possum Lodge motto is priceless!



Originally posted by JohnT
Not an answer to your question but you might want try out Pegasus Mail client for Win one the internets oldest and most elaborate...........http://pmail.com/

Thanks, JohnT. I'll have a look at that also. One problem I have is that the error messages I'm getting don't tell me anything useful. There are no errors generated on the server that I can tell -- but it may be a good idea for me to look deeper into /var/spool/???? logs to see if maybe pine is logging the attempts. Linux applications tend to generate more useful error messages than winapps (IMHO).

Thanks to you both for responding.

Regards,
Chuck

[Cadillac84]

John T.

Just a note to let you know that I downloaded and installed Pegasus on one computer and I'm nuts about it! It is so much nicer than Eudora that I just zapped Eudora off the computer. (and I even paid for Eudora to get rid of the advertising. (Glad I only paid for one!)

Thanks very much for the tip. Excellent program. AND, I do still have one or two pre-Win9x boxes that can run the 16-bit version.

I will probably switch my personal mail-browsing and a few of my friends to Pegasus as well.


Originally posted by JohnT
Not an answer to your question but you might want try out Pegasus Mail client for Win one the internets oldest and most elaborate...........http://pmail.com/

By the way, I did finally solve my "popping" problem. I did so many things that I don't rightly know what was the final straw.

But, it seems that I have not been running xinetd on this machine because I am being paranoid and I don't run telnet or finger or any of those things that provide holes in a firewall.

So, I must have been starting imap explicitly at some point and then quit doing it when we lost our routable address a while back. Then when we got a new routable address, I didn't remember . . . . (familiar story).

Anyway, I am now using Qpopper and I like some of the features I hope to be able to use. (version 4.0.5). Everything is working now; all I have left is to finish configuring Pegasus on all the users' machines.

Wonder if I can end up with a template that I can copy from station to station and then just change the uid and pw.

Hmm-m-m.

Anyway, great way to end the week for me!

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement.

Chuck

[JohnT]

Pegasus is one application that you can have lot of fun with. The author has an excellent manual that he sells, that you might want to consider. Glad you like it.:p

[Cadillac84]

I tried Pegasus and I'm very pleased with it -- it is much better than Eudora (which I have now abandoned.

Thanks very much for the tip!

And, I got my qpopper working -- all that's left is configuring filters and I'll be in good shape.

Chuck

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Cadillac84
John T.

Just a note to let you know that I downloaded and installed Pegasus on one computer and I'm nuts about it! It is so much nicer than Eudora that I just zapped Eudora off the computer. (and I even paid for Eudora to get rid of the advertising. (Glad I only paid for one!)

Thanks very much for the tip. Excellent program. AND, I do still have one or two pre-Win9x boxes that can run the 16-bit version.

I will probably switch my personal mail-browsing and a few of my friends to Pegasus as well.

Wonder if I can end up with a template that I can copy from station to station and then just change the uid and pw.

Hmm-m-m.

Anyway, great way to end the week for me!

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement.

Chuck

(From the site)
Template editor..... Pegasus Mail's Template Support (mail construction from a pre-written script) is one of the most powerful features in the program, and prior to now has been one of the least-used, because of its complexity. Pegasus Mail v4.1 includes a powerful template editor that vastly simplifies the process of writing and maintaining templates. With full editing assistance, it allows you to build templates without having to worry about the details of the template scripting language. It is accompanied by extensive additions to the online help that describe the template scripting language.