[kwlug-disc] Testing a mail port

[B.S.]

----- Original Message -----

> From: Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com>
> To: KWLUG discussion <kwlug-disc at kwlug.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 6:36 PM
> Subject: Re: [kwlug-disc] Testing a mail port
> 
> B.S. wrote:
>>  You should not, and should not have to, use smtp.bellnet.ca. This
>>  means a Bell server is e-mail relaying all e-mail, for all providers
>>  (stemming from within their network).
> 
> Shouldn't have to, but Bell (and Rogers) does impose that restriction.
> Even if they allow port 587 (Message Submission Protocol),  Bell and
> Rogers customers can't run mail servers which require port 25 (SMTP) to
> do server-to-server communication. And, as Joe discovered, SysAdmins
> can't perform troubleshooting from Bell and Rogers networks either.

Not necessarily so.

Distinguish between incoming and outgoing, and 25 vs other. And residential service vs Business.

I don't imaging either Bell or Rogers on business service would survive with 25 closed down coming in. Haven't experienced or heard Bell business doing so. Doesn't mean they aren't, or aren't now. Nor saying one might not have to ask it to be opened. Just remember that going out (Joe's case) and coming in (server, which doesn't apply to him) are different beasties.

Residential, sure, and my experience with both going out show 25 is indeed closed down. Not so with 465 or 587. (Or 110, 143, 993, for that matter.)

Even troubleshooting isn't that big a deal, given the prevalence of vpns, even free ones, or console services such as sdf. Or, as Joe pointed us out to, mxtools. And, in Joe's case, it hasn't been proven to not be a routing / network / backbone issue. (Pings / traceroute don't work either, never mind telnet.) Never mind google's fingers being in there. (In the sense of a gmail base is involved, and 'tricky' things happen between it and the outside world.)

Never mind one's home, public wifi, or cell data service (even just an android sh will let you ssh / ping / traceroute / dig (?)) while consuming little bandwidth. Or, best of all, kwlug, where multiple people in very short order, on varying providers, chimed in to help - cool!