Thanks, Rex. Although I'm on an apache/Linux server. So hmmmm.

You mentioned getting it to work... which real email provider you get it to function with?

And, for example, does this hack only work accounts that use the "my outgoing server requires authentication" or does it only work with those accounts that specifically do not require that feature?

Ok, I had someone set up a basic SMTP account with no restrictions as a test.

Getting this error now:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: errormessage() in /home/sites/www/zaon.org/includes/mail.php on line 202

Which points to a different, yet similar line as before, in this case:
return errorMessage("Authorization to the SMTP server failed");

Any clues on what's so fussy here?

When I run it i get the error Parse error: parse error, unexpected '@', expecting ',' or ';' in /home/star/public_html/includes/mail.php on line 96
What could be wrong?

Read the topic again... You should write the following line with quotes

yeah I noticed that after, I now get the error Warning: fsockopen(): unable to connect to mail.domain.com:25 in /includes/mail.php on line 183

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: errormessage() in /home/star/public_html/includes/mail.php on line 248

Probably, It's the same problem, write the following line with quotes:

It is already that way.

Are you sure you wrote all informations correctly ?

yeah positive.

SMTP: localhost
sendmail_from: None
sendmail_path: /usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i

Is that normal for 3.0.7?

Anyone?

Holy CRUD!!! This thread fired up and I didn't know about it. Let me see...

So I've got a Linux box running this message board and it's email functions are rock solid. (I have a Windows and a Linux server hosted by Burst.) The only thing I can say to you is make sure that your mail functions point to: 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost (in Linux make sure that's defined it should be, a simple ping to that IP would tell you). Then all you need is to make sure that the SMTP account sending the emails is a real account on a real domain on the server. You can get some good feedback using the diagnostic email in the admin panel. It's under "Import & Maintenance" down at the bottom of the panel. Click "Diagnostics" then send email. You'll get some useful output.

I'll watch for your replies so let me know.

Nope that's wrong.

SMTP: 127.0.0.1
sendmail_from: realuser@realdomainonthisserver.com
sendmail_path: // This looks okay.

Are you on Linux/Windows ehem Winblows? Let me know... I mentioned earlier I'm running this on Windows and Linux. The Linux is so bulletproof I don't even check it. The windows I have to have 9 secret service agents watching around the clock.

Linux, so I need to change the smtp to 127..0.0.1?

Well depending on which version of Linux you are using and how apache is setup you may not have localhost defined even if you do phpmail may not see it. So what I started doing was to first make a backup copy of the file before I did anything. Then I used the diagnostic email to test.

If I were you I'd open the CLI and ping 127.0.0.1 and ping localhost make sure both respond. If only 127.0.0.1 does then there you go.

Anyway, yeah change it to 127.0.0.1 (this is called your loopback interface). Give that a try. If that does not work then I'll ask more questions.

Now you do have public domains on this box that are able to use SMTP mail right? In other words you know for a fact that sendmail or whatever you are using for SMTP/POP is working correctly. Right?

Do you have aim msn we coudl talk on? This is a bit too much for moi!

Give me your address so I know to allow you. Mine is MSN: admin@wouldntsomespammerliketohaveit.com

Once you have contacted me I'll be deleting my address so do it quickly.

That's the problem. In today's world it's not feasible to host your own mail server because of how modern spam filters have become so discriminating the vast bulk of mail outbound from my server is categorized as 'spam' despite not being on any IP blacklists.

In short, "Real Email" in my book refers to very professional mail such as yahoo, gmail, and the like. I really prefer outbound vbulletin mail to come from gmail or perhaps yahoo. But have kinda given up because of the SSH requirement for gmail since apparently this vbulletin beta smtp module doesn't support it? Hmm...

If you have reverse DNS on your mail server, domain, etc and you have an SPF record you can email the president without trouble. There's nothing mysterious about email. You are either blacklisted or you are not. I've had my own email on several custom domains with reverse DNS and SPF records and never had any trouble. SPF is not a strict requirement but it makes your mail server fully compliant with the current standards.

That's part of the problem right there. Sharing an IP among several dot coms. Nothing wrong with that, yet according to spam filters it's "highly suspect" lol.

Also, the other direction is the hardest part.. keeping up with all the spam filtering updates, etc.

Yup. I've split out all my domains on to static IP's so I could get reverse DNS and SPF records set up. It's a PITA.

I've tried everything on this thread and nothing works.

My mail settings:

var $smtpHost = "mail.gamers-union.net";
var $smtpPort = 25;
var $smtpUser = "admin+gamers-union.net";
var $smtpPass = ***************;
var $smtpSocket = null;

Ive tried single quotes, double quotes, without quotes, 127.0.0.1, localhost and Illuvatar's fix

My mail server requires Authentication too. Server is linux fedora core 3 (i think).

Do you buy chance know which mail server you are using and if it's configured properly to receive relay requests?

What type of server is vBulletin running on?

I've built up 3 new Windows 2003 servers and 2 Linux servers for clients (not my licenses for vB but client licenses) and it's worked like a charm.

Can you relay to this server using Outlook for example?

I'll try to help best I can... This is a rather mysterious issue though...

Nevermind!

I fixed it!

I looked at the forum of a friend who has the fix working. I looked at his files, tried something and it worked.

Here's what i did:

I know the instructions of the smtp fix say it should be the other way around, but this worked for me (and my friends forum which has extremely heavy traffic).

Could just upgrade to 3.5 ;)

Not going to happen.

My forum is hacked to death (90+ hacks), and unless all those hacks are ported over to 3.5, i wont upgrade.

I'd hate to be your webhost.

Why?

The forum isint that slow, its not slower than phpbb. Also 70% of the hacks i installed are administrative/optimization.

will this work for 3.7?

The terms you say to look for are not part of the functions.php in that version.

mail.php is class_mail.php in my new version.

is it safe to assume that those are the same pages just different names? the code was in the mail page and I could modify as described.

But for the function.php page there was nothing like what everyone says to search for?

"if (false) // will eventually use $vboptions to determine this" This search phrase is not in functions.php

Anyone know what the phrase was changed to?

Why do you need this hack? vBulletin v.3.7.x support SMTP natively.

I was looking for something that worked.

because it's not working right now.

I get this error message:
"Warning: 501 Unexpected response from SMTP server during FROM address transmission in [path]/includes/class_mail.php on line 586"

--------------- Added [DATE]1213297902[/DATE] at [TIME]1213297902[/TIME] ---------------

I get that from the Diagnostics under Maintance to test SMTP.

I know the settings are correct because my Outlook can connect with the same settings and send mail.

GrowReport, why not posting your question to the official VB support?

Alcorn is right, post at vBulletin.com for actual support reuqest.

I figured it out, thanks everyone.

I did post a support ticket but they just said it was the hosts fault.

it turned out to be an extra mailto: tag in the source code when an email is sent and the name is generated it came across to the mail server as mailto:name@dot.com and of course that is not the proper format.