Help

Not sure if this is the right thread but I certainly need some advice from the community. Since 12:35 on 07/04/2015 I have been unable to send or receive email, but browsing has been unaffected. Hence I use this medium to ask if anybody has experienced similar symptoms. I use RO 5.21 on an Rpi2. I use Messenger 7.08 and NetFetch 3.66, set up so that I can review the emails waiting for me on mail.plus.net before deciding to download them.

Alas, now NetFetch says “Connection refused” and when I try to send emails (SMTP server is relay.plus.net) it says “Authentication rejected”. A chap on the PlusNet support team says that nothing has changed their end, and that my settings for usernames, passwords, server-names, ports etc are all correct. He cannot understand what the problem is. The most likely explanation, I think, is that NetFetch has suddenly started to send wrong headers because of possible bit-rot. NetFetch and Messenger live on the SD card. I have a backup copy on a memory stick.

… At last! I have replaced NetFetch by the backup copy and it is working again.

Alas, now NetFetch says “Connection refused” and when I try to send emails (SMTP server is relay.plus.net) it says “Authentication rejected”. A chap on the PlusNet support team says that nothing has changed their end, and that my settings for usernames, passwords, server-names, ports etc are all correct.

You don’t require the info, but others might so here we go.

Simplify. Use telnet to connect to port 25. On a PC that’s “telnet relay.plus.net 25”. If it is the secure version the port is 900something. The server will respond with a prompt.

You can work through the whole sequence in a command line session:
http://www.yuki-onna.co.uk/email/smtp.html

Glad to hear you have it working now.

I did like your comment “A chap on the PlusNet support team says that nothing has changed their end” I’ve been told that quite a few times over the years and then found out the statement was economical with the truth! Plusnet does though have a better than average reputation.

Isn’t that the standard first line of support – we’ve done nothing, it must be something at your end…

Isn’t that the standard first line of support

You’ve checked everything. Fault. Call BT. (leave check routine running)
BT: I will just check that line for you.
<tappety, tap>
BT. Checking now. No, there does not <tappety,tap, *TAP*>(check routine shows sudden working status immediately after TAP) appear to be a fault on the line. Are you sure you have checked everything?
You: It’s working now.
BT. OK. Our checks show no fault. Is there anything else you require?

For BT, feel free to substitute Virgin, Talk Talk, EasyNet, and

Anyway, about that document…

That reminds me of an experience with a bank.

Website “version 1” allowed passwords in excess of eight characters. V2 changed that to an eight-character maximum (why?!) but only enforced it for password changes and not logins, so existing passwords continued to work. A couple of years later, “V3” rolled around and suddenly rejected longer passwords.

Naturally the bank’s support line was adamant that I must be using the wrong password since it’s “always” had an eight-character limit…