Can't get mail past my Firewall

[annamarie]

Hi! I am new at this forum and do not know where to post questions. That's why I am placing it here.
How come I can use my local server for emails but the Sygate Personal firewall blocks my Outlook Express? How do I set up for incoming and outgoing mail? Firewall allows me to use my browser but not Outlook Express, I can neither send or receive my email messages. The following are the exact two error messages I get whenever I try to connect and get emails. I am copying them so that you may have a better idea as to how to help me.

The host smtp.frontiernet.net could not be found. Please verify that you have entered the server route correctly. Account 'pop3 .frontiernet.net. Protocol SMTP,Port25, Secure(SSL);No Socket Error.11004.error number.

The host 'Pop3.frontiernet.net could no be found. Please verify that you have entered the server name correctly. Account: 'Pop3.frontiernet.net, Server, 'Pop3.frontiernet.net, Protocol Pop3,Port:110,Secure (SSL). No Socket Error.11004,Error number.

One last thing, I understand that the email has to be sent to pop3.frontiernet.net and not any other server, when I click on Outlook Express under Tools, send and receive, it claims that pop3.frontiernet.net is default so how come it does not work? I greatly appreciate your help. Thanks Anna Marie

[alc6379]

can you ping that mail server using the ping command in the Command Prompt window? If so, I'd check out your firewall's settings. It could be blocking ports 25 and 110.

[aeinstein]

...How do I set up [Sygate Personal firewall] for incoming and outgoing mail?...

Either contact your corporate IS dept., or have them give you the contact info needed to work directly with Sygate to ensure that the firewall software is configured properly.

...The host smtp.frontiernet.net could not be found. Please verify that you have entered the server route correctly. Account 'pop3 .frontiernet.net. Protocol SMTP,Port25, Secure(SSL);No Socket Error.11004.error number...

This part of your quote is probably not entirely accurate; the actual error message probably went a little more like the following:

"The host 'smtp.frontiernet.net' could not be found. Please verify that you have entered the server name correctly. Account: 'pop3.frontiernet.net', Server: 'smtp.frontiernet.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 11004, Error Number: 0x8#######"

Notice that, among other edits, I deleted the space in "Account: 'pop3 .frontiernet.net'" - more on the importance of correct configuration data entry immediately below.

The SimpleMailTransferProtocol host is fundamentally the server, or specialized computer, that all outgoing e-mail is sent to, for the network that your computer is a part of, so that it can send your company's e-mails to the various e-mail servers of other companies/web-presences.

The SMPT error message you quoted means one or more, or even all, of the following:
1) The settings may actually be correct, but the firewall really is blocking the transfer of the e-mail out of your computer (really, the e-mail client (i.e., Outlook Express) that's on your computer) to the SMPT server - if this is the case see the section up above dealing with Sygate;
2) The SMTP server name ("smtp.frontiernet.net") is incorrect in some way - even a single misplaced, omitted or extraneous character can cause the failure that's responsible for generating the error message; once you've ensured that the firewall software is configured properly contact "the" administrator for e-mail services of frontiernet.net to ensure that this e-mail setting is correct (along with all of the rest of the e-mail settings);
3) The port number ("25") is set incorrectly - 25 is the default port for non-secure ("Secure(SSL): No") SMTP configurations, and the high probablity is that this is the correct port for your configuration. If the SMTP is configured for a secure connection (i.e., "Secure(SSL): Yes"), it still may use port 25, or it may go through port 465, or even some other port number; the only way to tell for sure which port your e-mail service is supposed to be set for is...yep, by checking with the e-mail administrator for frontiernet.net;
4) The last part of the SMPT error message to be concerned about, "Socket Error: 11004" leads to a number of different issues; the easiest to resolve (and explain, btw) is that the outgoing server name is incorrect - make sure that the firewall is configured correctly and that all of the e-mail settings are correct before we go down this path.

...The host 'Pop3.frontiernet.net could no be found. Please verify that you have entered the server name correctly. Account: 'Pop3.frontiernet.net, Server, 'Pop3.frontiernet.net, Protocol Pop3,Port:110,Secure (SSL). No Socket Error.11004,Error number...

once again the syntax of the POP3 error message as quoted is probably inaccurate, but we'll forego establishing that fact for now. pretty much every comment i made about the SMTP issues you're encountering goes the same for the POP3 issues as well, as covered below.

The PostOfficeProtocol(version)3 host is fundamentally the server, or again the specialized computer, that receives and manages the e-mails that are to be delivered to your e-mail client (i.e., Outlook Express), so that you can receive e-mails from company personnel as well as e-mails from other companies/web presences. It should be clearly noted that this server name does not necessarily have anything to do with the network that your computer is a part of, instead it is a relay point from the provider of your e-mail servcies to your computer. For example, lets say your using your company's laptop at work and you have your company e-mail configured correctly in Outlook Express as follows:

incoming server name: pop3.YourCompany.net
outgoing server name: smtp.YourCompany.net

Ok, all well and good. Now, let's suppose that your company also lets you setup Outlook Express so that you can receive e-mail from your spouse/kids/other via the e-mail address that has been given to you by your home InternetServiceProvider - just so that you can receive those special notes from home, like the dog swallowed a light bulb, and somehow it's still lit. In that case, the settings would be as follows:

incoming servername: pop3.YourISP.com (service delivering your e-mail)
outgoing servername: smtp.YourCompany.net (service transfering e-mail from the network your computer is physically/logically connected to)

Going by the numbers for my reply to the SMTP error message, up above, the following would be applicable to the POP3 error message:
1) The same, except that instead of blocking the transfer of e-mails from your e-mail client (Outlook Express), it's (also) blocking the delivery of messages for services (i.e., "[e-mail]" and/or "[e-mail]") configured within your e-mail client;
2) The same, except that this is for the POP3 ('pop3.frontiernet.net') host;
3) The same, except the port number in question would be 110 rather than 25 - 110 is the default port for non-secure ("Secure(SSL): No") POP3 configurations, and the high probablity agin is that this is the correct port for your configuration. If the POP3 is configured for a secure connection (i.e., "Secure(SSL): Yes"), then it should be set to a different port number, typically 993 or 995, but, once again, verify info with the e-mail administrator;
4) The same as above.

HTH