SMTP Conection Refused

[nickdrums]

Hi all,

 

Trying to use PEAR Mail class to send emails via my ISP's SMTP server, but each time I get the following error:

 

Failed to connect to smtp.dsl.pipex.com:25 [sMTP: Failed to connect socket: Connection refused (code: -1, response: )]

 

Here is the code I am using:

 

require_once("Mail.php");

 

$recipients = 'nick@cole2.com';

 

$headers['From'] = 'nick@drumsense.com';

$headers['To'] = 'nick@cole2.com';

$headers['Subject'] = 'Test message';

 

$body = 'Test message';

 

$params['host'] = "smtp.dsl.pipex.com";

$params['port'] = 25;

$params['auth'] = false;

$params['debug'] = false;

$params['username'] = "***";

$params['password'] = "***";

 

// Create the mail object using the Mail::factory method

$mail_object = Mail::factory('smtp',$params);

 

$send = $mail_object->send($recipients, $headers, $body);

 

if (PEAR::isError($send)) {

print($send->getMessage());

} else {

echo("Email sent successfully");

}

 

Really appreciate any suggestions on how to avoid this, or at least move forwards!!

 

Nick.

[Cep]

The answer is fairly simple pipex is not an open relay, you need to pass the email to a client program or a mail server authorised to relay mail to pipex.

[nickdrums]

Thanks for your reply Cep, but sorry I don't understand!

 

Can you expand a bit on what you mean by the suggestions you make? How would I go about them?

 

As an addendum, I've since tried the following from my windows machine here:

 

c:\> telnet

telnet> open smtp.dsl.pipex.com 25 which elicits the following response:

 

220 blaster.systems.pipex.net ESMTP Postfix

 

Which suggests to me that the server does not fundamentally object to contact via port 25 ...

 

Help! Nick.

[DyslexicDog]

Just because your connection was accepted doesn't mean it will relay mail for you.

[nickdrums]

Hmm - so how do I get it to do this? Or am I banging my head against a wall here?

 

Incidentally, I'm trying to get this to work as my website is hosted at 1&1, and Hotmail and others have decided to reject any emails from the 1&1 mail servers as an anti-spam measure. I'm trying to send my customers emails and they are bouncing back. The answer seems to be to add an SPF record to my DNS, but the 1&1 domain management interface does not allow this, and 1&1 will not do it for me.

 

Grr!

[Cep]

Your not going to get around this. Pipex will not let you use their servers to relay mail. This is to prevent spammers/viruses from using their servers. If you hold a business account with Pipex you can purchase an IP block from them and then you will be given access to their mail relay.

[nickdrums]

Thanks again Cep - I do have a consumer broadband account with Pipex, which is why I'm trying to use that SMTP server, and indeed I have switched to that one on my email client on my machine here. What is it about the connection to the SMTP server from php running on the hosted server that leads to the Connection Refused?

 

Nick.