» Biggest problem I had with moving to the new place came when it was time to send mail. I normally send mail thru Radified's own SMTP mail server (Linux-based .. physically located downtown Chicago).
But most ISPs want you to use *their* SMTP server .. so they block port 25 (.. the default outgoing mail port). It's an anti-spam thing.
Normally I call my ISP and have them unblock port 25. But this is a DSL line with dynamic IP's, which they unblock on an IP basis.
They told me I'd have to upgrade to a "Business account" if I wanted to "unblock port 25 for unrestricted access." (Uh, can you say, 'reading from a script?)
I can tell when they assign us a new IP, cuz I have to "update session" .. by providing my password at the Rad forums. That's a security feature. Change your IP and you're no longer trustworthy.
Far as I can tell, we get a new IP on a daily basis. Which involves losing our connection for a minute or two.
The Rad VPS has a static IP. Some providers make you pay extra for dedicated IPs. My account comes with 3 extra IPs that I've never used.
After beating my head against a wall for a couple of days .. listening to their litany of pre-recorded menu's (.. I hate those things) .. and going thru a few levels of their tech support .. I finally got hold of a supervisor .. who actually knew something. (Hallelujah, brother!)
Once I learned they *cant* (not wont) unblock port 25, I started plan-B .. which is obviously where I shoulda started.
Enabling Port 26 for SMTP in WebHost Mgr
The answer was to go into my site's WebHost Mgr (.. made by cPanel, which is based in Houston) » Main » Service Configuration (.. not to be confused with "Server Configuration").
There I found an icon for "Service Manager" .. and THAT's where I found an option to enable Port-26 (.. or whatever port you might prefer).
But ISPs dont normally block port 26, so that's why it's the default alternate SMTP outgoing mail port.
Did I just say, 'default alternate'?
Notice where it says:
Allow exim to listen on port 26. Useful for providers that block port 25.
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So now I can continue to send mail thru my own outgoing mail server, and I dont have to use our ISP's mail servers (.. at all). Took 2 minutes. It would suk to reconfigure all my email accounts to use their outgoing mail server. I have many email accounts .. each for a different purpose.
[ In Outlook Express, you set both the Incoming & Outgoing mail ports thusly » Tools » Accounts... (Select mail account) » Properties button » Advanced tab. ]
Port-110 is normally the default INCOMING mail port. Never had any problems receiving mail. WebHost Manager is a powerful configuration utility for your server. But the UNIX shell is even more powerful (.. tho far less user-friendly). ■
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » enable alternate smtp outgoing mail block port 25 whm
