SMTP Error: Could not connect to SMTP host.

I get this error when trying to send an email with zencart. I am using Zoho to host my email. I have set the following in zc.
SMTP Email Account Mailbox [email protected]
SMTP Email Account Password *********** Info
SMTP Email Mail Host smtp.zoho.com Info
SMTP Email Mail Server Port 587 Info

can anyone here help me or do I need to get with Zoho to figure this out.

Thanks for the help,
Brandi

brandi_jo:

I get this error when trying to send an email with zencart. I am using Zoho to host my email. I have set the following in zc.
SMTP Email Account Mailbox [email protected]
SMTP Email Account Password *********** Info
SMTP Email Mail Host smtp.zoho.com Info
SMTP Email Mail Server Port 587 Info

can anyone here help me or do I need to get with Zoho to figure this out.

Thanks for the help,
Brandi

I am not familiar with Zoho at all but I think it would be a matter of establishing how your server, Zoho and ZC interact with each other. The Zoho documentation should give you a clue.

brandi_jo:

I get this error when trying to send an email with zencart. I am using Zoho to host my email. I have set the following in zc.
SMTP Email Mail Server Port 587

From:
http://email.about.com/od/Zoho-Mail/f/What-Are-The-Zoho-Mail-Smtp-Settings.htm
http://www.zoho.com/mail/help/faq/imap-access1.html

• Zoho Mail SMTP port: 465
  Cheers
  RodG

RodG:

From:
http://email.about.com/od/Zoho-Mail/f/What-Are-The-Zoho-Mail-Smtp-Settings.htm
http://www.zoho.com/mail/help/faq/imap-access1.html

• Zoho Mail SMTP port: 465

Cheers
RodG

I appreciate the links and the help, but I have tried that. I have tried 25, 465, and 587. I have also tried smtp.zoho.com and ssl://smtp.zoho.com. Neither of which works. Also, where can I set ssl to true in zc?

brandi_jo:

I appreciate the links and the help, but I have tried that. I have tried 25, 465, and 587.

This isn't a guessing game. Only one port will be the correct one, and that will be the one documented by Zoho. (465)

brandi_jo:

I have also tried smtp.zoho.com and ssl://smtp.zoho.com.

This isn't a guessing game. Only one host will be the correct one, and that will be the one documented by Zoho. (smtp.zoho.com)

brandi_jo:

Neither of which works.

If you are using the specified details of smtp.zoho.com and port 465 and it doesn't work the problem must be elswhere. Possibilities include
Invalid username
Invalid password
Incorrect transport method (you need to use SMTP or SMTPAUTH (probably the latter)
The account hasn't been correctly set up on the zoho servers.

brandi_jo:

Also, where can I set ssl to true in zc?

This is set in the configuration.php files. However, this is a different matter entirely. It will have no effect on your mail problem (the port number itself defines that the SSL protocol is being used).

If after setting smtp.zoho.com, port 465, SMTPAUTH, with a correct username/password you still have problems then the following link will take you to a page with some debugging tips.
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Troubleshoot_-_Email_Problems

Again, this is not a guessing game. Trying anything other than smtp.zoho.com 465 will be an exersize in futility. These are specified constants defined by the zoho.com administrators.

Cheers
RodG

Thanks for the insight. I understand that this is not a guessing game but when the email didn't work, I tried other combinations just to be sure. Zoho account is set up and correct, can send and receive emails there. All slots in zc are plugged in correctly and still nothing. I will try the link provided and see what else I can do.

Again, Thanks for the help
Brandi

ok, so Zoho mail has finally got back with me and told me that I need to set the ssl to on for email. How would I go about doing this.

Thanks, Brandi

brandi_jo:

ok, so Zoho mail has finally got back with me and told me that I need to set the ssl to on for email.

This was determined 4 days ago. "the port number itself defines that the SSL protocol is being used"

brandi_jo:

How would I go about doing this.

I provided a link regarding this, 4 days ago. I will assume it didn't work, so here is a copy of the relevant section of the page.

SMTP over SSL

If your host requires that you send email over SSL, then be sure to set your SMTP Port to 465.

And here is a little bit of additional information from the same page....
SMTP over TLS

TLS (or StartTLS) is often used as an alternative to SSL for secure email transfer. But, true TLS is more complex to set up, and thus it is more likely that your host will actually work fine using just SSL by specifying port 465 as mentioned above.
Seriously: most hosts can simply use port 465 to trigger SSL, so this is usually sufficient.

And finally, if you are using all the correct credentials and you are STILL having a problem, your only solution is to seek help from your host. They are probably blocking the communications with a firewall.
Enabling SSL for your store will not solve the problem.

Rgds,
RodG

RodG,

I understand what you said before and now! All I am saying is that they have told me to set ssl (on email not site) to true. I responded back to them with port 465 should suffice. They have not responded back as of yet. I can receive and send email from my zoho account, AND however, my website email will not work nor will the admin tools send mail. Let me explain further, I went to my website as a guest and tried to use the contact us portion and send an email that way...... NOTHING was sent......... I have checked all possible emails. Also, before when I was having trouble logging in (weeks ago) and tried to reset my password at the admin login page, zc would not send an email to my email on file.

Again, I appreciate all the help in this matter, but something is wrong with email. I will admit that I am not smart enough to figure it out. This is why I come here and post questions.

Thanks,
Brandi

brandi_jo:

I understand what you said before and now

So why are you still seeking answers from Zoho?

I don't keep repeating myself because I enjoy it. I'm not trying to give you a hard time or anything like that. I'm trying to give you advice as to what you need to do for a speedy resolution to your problem, so to repeat myself one final time...

"if you are using all the correct credentials and you are STILL having a problem, your only solution is to seek help from your host. They are probably blocking the communications with a firewall".

Putting this another way, you are asking all the right questions in all the wrong places. Asking here in the 1st instance was good. I/we were able to tell you that you was using the wrong port number. From there you've just gone downhill and caused yourself significant delays with multiple emails back and forth with zoho, who firstly confirmed what I'd already told you, and now you are awaiting a follow up response in which they are going to once again confirm my advise It is something that your host will need to sort out, as they are the only ones that will have access to the log files needed to determine exactly what is going on and also rectify the problem.

If you want an even speedier resolution you could probably just set your zencart to use PHP or Sendmail.

Do you actually have a reason for wanting to send using SMTP via zoho?
You do realise that you don't have to send and receive emails on the same server don't you?

As long as the emails being sent contain your zoho email address then that's where the responses will be sent to for you to pickup. Most people that receive the store sent emails wouldn't have a clue which server they are actually being sent from unless they look at all of the mail headers.

Cheers
Rod

RodG:

If you want an even speedier resolution you could probably just set your zencart to use PHP or Sendmail.

Do you actually have a reason for wanting to send using SMTP via zoho?
You do realise that you don't have to send and receive emails on the same server don't you?

php gives me error check transport options
sendmail says mail sent.... but nothing gets sent
smtp will eventually time out
smtpauth will say cannot connect to host

Trust me, I'm as frustrated as you are. There is no host to contact, and the reason I wanted email routed through zoho is because the send mail function in zc wasn't working to begin with. So if zc mail won't work I have to send it through somewhere!

brandi_jo:

There is no host to contact

This has piqued my interest.

Exactly what do you mean by this? Where is your site being hosted?

There's only really one reason that comes to mind whereby you wouldn't have a host to contact, and that is if you are running the site on your own computer.

This could/would explain all of your email issues in one way or another.

brandi_jo:

php gives me error check transport options

The PHP mail function hasn't been installed/enabled

brandi_jo:

sendmail says mail sent.... but nothing gets sent
Either hasn't been correctly configured, or outgoing mail is being blocked either by a local firewall, or by your ISP.

> brandi_jo:

smtp will eventually time out
smtpauth will say cannot connect to host

Outgoing mail is being blocked either by a local firewall, or by your ISP.

If you could provide more info about you system/setup I should be able to provide further advise.

Cheers
RodG

RodG:

This has piqued my interest.

So many things have been going wrong for me the last few weeks that I have not been able to get back on, I apologize for this as you have been trying to help me. I in fact do host this from my pc. The reason for this is because I do not want to pay the fees required from hosting sites. Also, I wanted full access to be able to do what I want with the site. I do not have php mail setup on here, as I was unaware that I needed such a thing. Also, I am not sure why my ISP would block the emails. I have to make another trip out soon and this time I will be taking the pc with me so the site is going to be down for awhile, but that is not until this weekend. I will keep trying to resolve this.

Thanks again for all of you assistance,
Brandi

ok, so zoho replied back and said that I needed to make changes based on a search they did here at ZC. They found this posted, "...pure form of TLS, you'll need to also specify your TLS/SSL Certificate by adding a define for 'SMTPAUTH_EMAIL_CERTIFICATE_CONTEXT' in the extra_datafiles folder to supply your certificate-context, and in that same file also define SMTPAUTH_EMAIL_PROTOCOL to 'starttls'. This is arguably more complicated and should be considered a last resort. Definitely try to sort out your email issues with your host before attempting StartTLS configuration!!!!"

If this is the case how in the heck would I go about this?

Thanks again for all the help,
Brandi

brandi_jo:

I in fact do host this from my pc. The reason for this is because I do not want to pay the fees required from hosting sites.

Hosting is cheap. How much is your time worth?

brandi_jo:

Also, I wanted full access to be able to do what I want with the site.

Such as?

brandi_jo:

I do not have php mail setup on here,

This is generally a part of the default PHP installation.

brandi_jo:

Also, I am not sure why my ISP would block the emails.

To prevent spam.
Also. please be considerate of how you define/use the meaning of 'email', because no ISP will place a block on emails per se, but many will block outgoing on port 25 (which is used for SMTP) and that is quite a reasonable thing to do, because most folk would be better of sending the mail via the ISP's mail servers rather than trying to send them directly (which is what SMTP does).

brandi_jo:

I will keep trying to resolve this.

Could have and should have been resolved weeks ago.

brandi_jo:

ok, so zoho replied back and said that I needed to make changes based on a search they did here at ZC. They found this posted, "...pure form of TLS, you'll need to also specify your TLS/SSL Certificate by addin
Brandi

This was taken directly from the link I gave you a few weeks ago.

brandi_jo:

If this is the case how in the heck would I go about this?

First you'll need to purchase and SSL certificate (which will cost about the same as a cheap host).
Then you'll need to install it, which will depend on your particular setup, and then you'll need to make the changes mentioned....

...... All of which is going to be an overkill, and probably won't work if your ISP (or you own PC) is blocking the required ports anyway.

If you can't get PHP mail to work (which generally works with nothing more to set up, as long as a firewall isn't blocking things), the next best/easiest option would be to use SMTP but use your ISP's server settings (and account details) rather than the zoho server settings.

To repeat from post#10
Do you actually have a reason for wanting to send using SMTP via zoho?
You do realise that you don't have to send and receive emails on the same server don't you?

Cheers
RodG

RodG:

Hosting is cheap. How much is your time worth?

The time between myself hosting and someone else hosting is not that much different. But as the site is not producing money right now, I do not want to spend any. Time spent learning is priceless though.

RodG:

Could have and should have been resolved weeks ago.

Again, sorry! But if it's not working even though I've been trying the different things you suggest then it is not resolved (on my end).

RodG:

This was taken directly from the link I gave you a few weeks ago. Sorry!, must have overlooked that and was looking farther down in post at settings.

RodG:

To repeat from post#10
Do you actually have a reason for wanting to send using SMTP via zoho?
You do realise that you don't have to send and receive emails on the same server don't you?

I don't have a need to send via smtp, I would just like to be able to send mail from the admin page if possible.

All I really want to do is to make sure that if someone comes to the site and wants to send us an email they can do that. I have no problem adding mail addresses to zoho and sending directly from them.

Thanks, Brandi

P.S. I am truly sorry if I am being a pain in the ########.

brandi_jo:

The time between myself hosting and someone else hosting is not that much different. But as the site is not producing money right now, I do not want to spend any. Time spent learning is priceless though.

Whooooshhh..... That's the sound made as my point went straight over your head.

I'll try again.
You can find a hosting site for as little as $1.30pm (less than $16pa).
If you value your time at a mere $5.00ph, and assume that you've spent just 4hrs trying to solve this issue (which you probably wouldn't have on a hosted site), you are already $4.00 out of pocket, and still don't have a working system.

You can learn almost as much on a hosted site, without having to worry about running the actual servers. You need to learn how to walk before trying to run.

brandi_jo:

But if it's not working even though I've been trying the different things you suggest

So you've checked the firewall on your PC have you?
You've identified whether your ISP is blocking some ports have you?

I'm not saying that you haven't done these things, but you certainly have told us about any findings or the results of any particular thing that you have tried. All you have done is keep repeating that it doesn't work.

We shouldn't be needing to keep trying to drag information out of you.

brandi_jo:

Sorry!, must have overlooked that and was looking farther down in post at settings.

No need to apologise to me. You need to apologise to yourself. You are being your own worst enemy.

brandi_jo:

I have no problem adding mail addresses to zoho and sending directly from them.

aaarrrghhhhhh.. This is what you are currently trying to do, and it obviously isn't working for you (probably due to a firewall restriction)
My latest suggestion was to NOT send via zoho, but instead, send via your ISP, which won't have the same restriction in place.

brandi_jo:

I am truly sorry if I am being a pain in the ########.

It's probably my fault.
I've given you several different options and methods to overcome the different types of problems that you experiencing with each of the different transport methods, and this is clearly causing you some confusion.

At the same time I've also been trying to drag more information out of you so that I can provide a more specific solution that meets your circumstances, but alas, you haven't been keeping up with me, SO, on this basis, and what I now know about your situation there is only one option/solution that I can almost guarantee will work for you... I gave this in my previous reply, but just to be absolutely clear, here it is again:

"If you can't get PHP mail to work (which generally works with nothing more to set up, as long as a firewall isn't blocking things),"

Ignore this, for the simple reason that you've not provided any feedback or information in regards to whether this is being blocked by your ISP or whether it is being blocked by your own PC, or whether it is some other PHP/localhost cause (It could be any of these, so I'm going to discount this as a valid option for you).

So this leaves only one viable solution, which is..."to use SMTP but use your ISP's server settings (and account details) rather than the zoho server settings".

I'll repeat that again (slightly differently) ....

"use SMTP(auth) with your** ISP's mail server settings **(and account details)"

Do NOT use 'zoho' anywhere in any of your zencart settings. You don't need zoho to SEND mail. You will only be using zoho to receive mail, and this (recieving mail) has nothing to do with ZenCart or any of its settings.

Hopefully I've made this clear now?

Cheers
RodG