E-Mail Does Not Work

[NASA]

I've set my root user e-mail and configured the network to see my gateway, the set:

From email: myaccount@verizon.net (same address used as root email address)
Outgoing mail server: outgoing.verizon.net
Outgoing server port to connect to: 25
TLS/SSL = plain (i.e., none")
Use SMTP Authentication: Checked
Username: myaccount@verizon.net
Password: my password
Password confirmation: my password

When I attempt to send a test e-mail, however, I get the error message, "hostname nor servname provided, or not known," which makes no sense at all. Also, when I attempt to save my password, the password boxes appear empty when I go back to the E-mail setting screen. I am using FreeNAS 8.2 What gives?

 

[Stephens]

I wish I could remember how I fixed my DNS issues when I first had trouble with e-mail, but it's been a few months now and I don't remember. A lot of the errors I'm seeing reported have to do with DNS, which people can test by going to the shell and trying to ping using IP vs pinging using domain name. Likely the domain name pinging will fail. I usually try "ping www.usatoday.com" (or whatever the *nix equivalent is) or "ping www.yahoo.com". For IP, "ping 4.2.2.2". Or in this case... "ping outgoing.verizon.net" and "ping 206.46.232.12". If the first fails, it's a DNS issue (which I'm pretty sure it is).

 

[ProtoSD]

It could also be your ISP blocking port 25 which is a very common thing for them to do.

 

[NASA]

I wish I could remember how I fixed my DNS issues when I first had trouble with e-mail, but it's been a few months now and I don't remember. A lot of the errors I'm seeing reported have to do with DNS, which people can test by going to the shell and trying to ping using IP vs pinging using domain name. Likely the domain name pinging will fail. I usually try "ping www.usatoday.com" (or whatever the *nix equivalent is) or "ping www.yahoo.com". For IP, "ping 4.2.2.2". Or in this case... "ping outgoing.verizon.net" and "ping 206.46.232.12". If the first fails, it's a DNS issue (which I'm pretty sure it is).

Actually, I am able to ping "outgoing.verizon.net" at the shell with no problem. Any other ideas as to what my problem may be?

 

[NASA]

O.K. I tried a couple of things:

When I replace "root@freenas.local" in the "From e-mail" field with my own e-mail address, then enter and save my password and click "Send Test E-mail," it works and I receive the test e-mail. When I navigate away from the e-mail settings tab and back to it, however, my password no longer appears and I have to enter and save it once again! Could this latter issue be a bug in the software?

 

[Stephens]

Are you SURE you have to re-enter it? It's a display thing. It'll show blank, but FreeNAS knows the password. I just sent myself a test e-mail with the password field blank (I'd specified it before) and it was successful. Sounds like you're all fixed up. Please confirm.

 

[NASA]

I am indeed SURE! All is o.k. if I don't navigate away from the e-mail setup screen where I have entered and saved my e-mail address and password; but if I click on, say, the advanced screen and then go back and click on the e-mail screen and attempt to send another test e-mail at that point messages in red appear above the password and confirm password boxes that say, "This Field is Required." For some reason, my password isn't being saved when I leave the e-mail screen.

 

[NASA]

Interesting! If I DON'T click on the general, advanced, or SSL tab after leaving the e-mail tab, but click on, say, the system information or storage tabs, then my password still appears (i.e., as dots) when I go back to the e-mail tab! Whenever my password does not appear after leaving the e-mail tab, however, I must reenter it in order to be able to send a test e-mail (or receive updates from root). Must be a bug!