“Newsletter” not sending test mails

If you got an SMTP error, it means you’re using an SMTP plugin. Try to test from that plugin, it seems your site cannot connect to the SMTP service (which is the service used to send emails).

Stefano.

But I’ve tried sending to both G-mail and to another totally unconnected server and in those cases I got a different error which is impossible to resolve – ie it tells me to save the document before testing, but the document is already saved, saving again has no effect.

As regards the SMPT error, if that is so, something has changed since about two weeks ago when it worked fine. So what has changed? Was this an “upgrade”? Can I roll back the update? I have searched my plugins for “SMTP” but nothing come sup, so I need a far clearer instruction please.

I left it trying to send 160 mails last night and now 12 hours later it has only sent 82%, so the plugin is broken and useless now.

Hi, check on Newsletter top menu the SMTP panel: if present you’re using our internal SMTP feature. Test from there and if the error is about connection, it means or the provider blocked the connection or the SMTP provier did it.

Interesting. I tried a test from there and it failed, so I turned it off and tried sending a test from the newsletter and it works. Looking at the SMTP menu again it now tells me the feature is obsolete and no longer there.

Anyway it’s now sending tests ok so thanks for that.

So I assume a recent upgrade removed the SMTP feature, but didn’t deactivate it.

Hi, the SMTP feature has not been removed, for who was using it, it’s still there. The error you got means your blog cannot connect to that SMTP anymore.

Stefano.

But nothing had changed at my end. Turning it off has solved the problem anyway and it’s telling me the feature isn’t there any more

“SMTP (OBSOLETE)
This feature is obsolete. Use a third party SMTP plugin or our SMTP addon.”

This was due to an update I assume?

Derek

Hi, the connection problem is low level problem between your provider the the SMTP provider, is not somwthing you did.
The obsolete message is there to remeber to use an addon, but the SMTP feature is still working.

When you disable it, you trun back using the basic mailing system of your provider, probably you set an SMTP for some reasons or it could have been suggest by the provider itself.

Sorry Stefano, I’m not understanding this.

Most importantly it seems to be working now, in the it sends test messages. Is there a need to change anything now or can I just leave it as is?

This would seem to have happened as a part of an upgrade because as you say we now have to use an additional plug-in to use smtp. If so I would suggest I’m not the only user with this issue because that is what seems to have caused the problem.

The thing is I’m not really a computer tech, I’m a wordpress user although with a few years experience now. The site was set up for us some years ago and having to make changes like this is a little beyond my paygrade without proper warning, indeed finding the settings used is difficult now because it no longer shows me the previous smtp menu options.

Derek

Hi, you were previously using an SMTP service to send emails. Now you disabled that and you’re sending with your hosting provider. Maybe there was a reason to send with an SMTP service. Usually that choice is a consequence of hosting providers not ahve a good email delivery service.

If you see everything is working fine, you can forget the SMTP.

??

Thanks Stephano

Hi Stephano – hopefully for the last time!

Just for the record, you are correct, it was a problem caused by my host. After three days they have finally explained:

>>`
Hi Derek,

We did make a change to our firewall rules to fix an issue in how we were handling inbound SMTP connections. Unfortunately, in doing so, we introduced a different problem which caused the problem that you were seeing.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

I’m not sure exactly what the plugin means when it refers to “basic email facility”. In general, there are two ways to send mail from a web server: via SMTP, and via the sendmail command. There’s not a lot to choose between the options, although we’d generally prefer the latter, so assuming that what you have is working I don’t think there’s any reason to change.

regards,

Paul
Mythic Beasts Support
>>

Apols for thinking you caused it!

Derek