the old "unable to connect to smtp server localhost:25" problem...

[Wintermute]

Running Plesk 7.5.4

getting the following error...

"There was an error sending your message: unable to connect to smtp server localhost:25"

this all used to work..and no I am not at go Daddy.. I set this server up myself..and all was working until 2-3 days ago...
I haven't changed a thing in the last 2 weeks except maybe adding a few new domains...

sending email from horde gives same error...
trying to send an e-mail to an account on the box from an account off the box gives an error like...


Failed to deliver to '<user@mydomain.com>'
unknown user account

then a few hours later i get


This is a warning message only.
Your message remains in the server queue,
the server will try to send it again.
You should not try to resend your message now.


Message delivery to 'user@mydomain.com' delayed
SMTP module(domain mydomain.com) reports:
mail.mydomain.com: connection refused



I know qmail is installed.. and running...

--------------------

rpm -qa |grep 'qmail'

returns 3 packages ...

psa-qmail-rblsmtpd-0.70-fc2.build75050824.12
psa-qmail-1.03-fc2.build75050824.12
drweb-qmail-4.32-fc2.build75050824.12

-----------------------

ps -ef |grep qmail

returns

qmails 6530 1 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 qmail-send
qmaill 6532 6530 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 splogger qmail
root 6533 6530 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 qmail-lspawn ./Maildir/
qmailr 6534 6530 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 qmail-rspawn
qmailq 6535 6530 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 qmail-clean
popuser 6564 1 0 02:22 ? 00:00:00 /usr/bin/spamd --username=popuser --daemonize --helper-home-dir=/var/qmail --max-children 20 --pidfile=/var/run/spamd/spamd_full.pid --socketpath=/tmp/spamd_full.sock
popuser 6566 1 0 02:23 ? 00:00:00 /usr/bin/spamd --username=popuser --daemonize --helper-home-dir=/var/qmail --max-children 20 --pidfile=/var/run/spamd/spamd_light.pid --socketpath=/tmp/spamd_light.sock
root 8611 8311 0 03:39 pts/0 00:00:00 grep qmail

------------

telnet localhost 25 (from the server's shell prompt)

comes up with


Trying 127.0.0.1...
telnet: connect to address 127.0.0.1: Connection refused

-----------

netstat -an |grep ':25'

comes up with

nothing!

-------------
telnet ip.add.re.ss 25 (from outside the server)

can not connect...

-------------

so i gather something is not listening on port 25 as it should be...but qmail is running...
what else can I look for ?

here is a piece of my /usr/local/psa/var/log/maillog


Feb 15 03:08:26 vps105 qmail: 1139990906.487153 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20
Feb 15 03:09:24 vps105 qmail: 1139990964.481754 starting delivery 5: msg 492216336 to remote user@aol.com
Feb 15 03:09:24 vps105 qmail: 1139990964.481819 status: local 0/10 remote 1/20
Feb 15 03:09:24 vps105 qmail: 1139990964.825984 delivery 5: deferral: 205.188.157.25_failed_after_I_sent_the_message./Remote_host_said:_421-:__(DNS:NR)__http
://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/421dnsnr.html/421_SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE/
Feb 15 03:09:24 vps105 qmail: 1139990964.826032 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20
Feb 15 03:09:55 vps105 qmail: 1139990995.821743 starting delivery 6: msg 492216347 to remote user@my.loveweb.ru
Feb 15 03:09:55 vps105 qmail: 1139990995.821807 status: local 0/10 remote 1/20
Feb 15 03:10:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991055.952162 delivery 6: deferral: Sorry,_I_wasn't_able_to_establish_an_SMTP_connecti
on._(#4.4.1)/
Feb 15 03:10:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991055.952223 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20
Feb 15 03:15:29 vps105 qmail: 1139991329.951797 starting delivery 7: msg 492216322 to remote user@optonline.net
Feb 15 03:15:29 vps105 qmail: 1139991329.951862 status: local 0/10 remote 1/20
Feb 15 03:15:31 vps105 qmail: 1139991331.926700 delivery 7: deferral: 167.206.4.79_does_not_like_recipient./Remote_host_said:_452_4.2.1_Your_host_209.x.x.x_has_no_DNS_record_. _If_you_are_using_a_firewall_please_configure_DNS_
and_try_again_authoritative_host_not_found:_klanda
u@optonline.net/Giving_up_on_167.206
.4.79./
Feb 15 03:15:31 vps105 qmail: 1139991331.926758 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20
Feb 15 03:15:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991355.921780 starting delivery 8: msg 492216330 to remote user@gearypadnet.com
Feb 15 03:15:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991355.921849 status: local 0/10 remote 1/20
Feb 15 03:15:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991355.998264 delivery 8: deferral: Sorry,_I_wasn't_able_to_establish_an_SMTP_connecti
on._(#4.4.1)/
Feb 15 03:15:55 vps105 qmail: 1139991355.998305 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20
Feb 15 03:17:00 vps105 qmail: 1139991420.991743 starting delivery 9: msg 492216345 to remote user@g14099.greatpets95.net
Feb 15 03:17:00 vps105 qmail: 1139991420.991806 status: local 0/10 remote 1/20
Feb 15 03:17:01 vps105 qmail: 1139991421.273736 delivery 9: deferral: Sorry,_I_wasn't_able_to_establish_an_SMTP_connecti
on._(#4.4.1)/
Feb 15 03:17:01 vps105 qmail: 1139991421.273777 status: local 0/10 remote 0/20

I see the dns thing but that is something else completely...

I have rebooted..and I have also restarted xinetd stuff...
still same prob...

I also just noticed that under the VMC (this is running in a virtuoozo VPS) qmail shows at stopped...but my ps-ef shows it was runing no ? I tried starting it from the VMC and I get

error 703: Can not start/stop/restart services:
service "qmail" status is not "running" after command "start"

Please help...

thanks

winter

 

[Wintermute]

FOUND IT!

Found my solution in this thread...

http://forum.plesk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=134845#post134845

smtp was looking for

./etc/xinetd.d/smtp_psa and
./etc/xinetd.d/smtps_psa

but i had

./etc/xinetd.d/smtp.psa and
./etc/xinetd.d/smtps.psa

instead..

It seems renaming the files and a reboot fixed my problem.
I still have no idea how it happened though...bug ?

winter

 

[carver6]

Re: FOUND IT!

Hmmm... 1/2 day later and found this post. I had the same problem. Have to wonder whats renaming the files. Anyway... PROBLEM FIXED!

Originally posted by Wintermute
Found my solution in this thread...

http://forum.plesk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=134845#post134845

smtp was looking for

./etc/xinetd.d/smtp_psa and
./etc/xinetd.d/smtps_psa

but i had

./etc/xinetd.d/smtp.psa and
./etc/xinetd.d/smtps.psa

instead..

It seems renaming the files and a reboot fixed my problem.
I still have no idea how it happened though...bug ?

winter

 

[frostie]

I'll add an update to this also. It appears I have had a similar problem in the past week. As a result i've been totally flumoxed as i haven't been able to find a solution... until now. Thanks to Wintermute for locating this issue.

Does anyone have any idea how this happened? It's a very odd for this to suddenly change, especially given that I've made no changes to the system in months aside from the odd security update. File's don't just rename themselves...