Hi, I wasn't sure if this is the right place to post this, but I am having a big problem with my Apache Server that is running Linux (I think it's Red Hat). The mail application is qmail. It has no problem sending mail, but it can't receive mail at all. Whenever I send a message to any address on that server, I get a warning e-mail in reply (usually a day or so later) saying the delivery of the message is delayed, will try again for 6 days.

My server had been set on open-relay for 2 1/2 weeks or so (without me knowing it) but I changed it back to "Authorization Required" so it's no longer on open relay. I checked all the blacklist monitors to see if my server has been blacklisted and it hasn't. I've looked at qmail via Putty and I would post a screenshot but I don't have enough posts.

I'm really a complete newbie to all of this and I have no idea what could be up with this server and why it can't recieve mail. Again, it has no problem SENDING mail, it just can't RECIEVE it. Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

~Michelle

how is the email server connected to the internet? You most probably have a firewall stopping you from recieving email..

Hi, no I never installed a firewall or anything. This is a dedicated Linux root server I purchased from 1&1 Internet. They won't help me because it's a root server and I'm technically supposed to know how to fix these problems. The e-mail used to work perfectly fine, and now it doesn't. But the server is definately connected and neither I nor anyone else installed a firewall (I'm the only one with root access). Thanks for your suggestion though... I'm totally in the dark.

If you configured it not to be a relay server.. (which is a good thing cause it prevents spammers from using it to send their spam).. have you configured the relay domains that are allowed, etc?

Some google hits I came across...

http://cert.uni-stuttgart.de/archive.../msg00004.html

http://untroubled.org/relay-ctrl/

So if I install those programs you've linked, they'll allow me to choose which hosts are allowed to send mail to my server? I mean, is that what those programs are intended to do? I'm still new to this so I don't understand exactly what the programs are for, even after I read their sites.

The problem may not be anything to do with your computer. Since your email server is able to send mail to an outside mail server (e.g. yahoo, hotmail), your server should be oK. Did you open port 25 on your router? If you dont, any incoming mail will never even touch your comptuer because your router has locked the door. I had a similar problem. If that is not the case, try looking up your MX records where you registered your domain. (e.g. godaddy.com, register.com....etc) make sure the MX record is set to '@' and the '@' pointer is set to your IP address.