PermaNET - no SMTP server

I got hooked up to PermaNET yesterday, the only proper broadband I can get in my area. So far, everything is brilliant except one major flaw.

They have no SMTP server. As a result I can't send anything with my old Esat Clear e-mail unless I use the webmail. I've told them about it and they said they'd investigate. But does anyone here know anything else I can do?

sirlinux

xp has one built in you can install, start, settings control panel, add/remove porgrams, windows components, IIS, you should see SMTp listed there, then google up on configuring it on letting the localhost relay, make sure you have your firewall turned on so you dont become an open relay. There is also plenty of free smtp servers out there you couldnt install on your local machine.

optiplexgx270

That is only if you are running Windows XP PRO and also i suggest limiting the relay by ip address. IE only your own

Oh crap just remembered i must do that bit.

Edit: no its ok i already did and my work is in the allowed ip addresses too humm.

Yeah I have XP Pro, that's no problem. I'll give it a go, no harm in trying. Thanks.

sirlinux

optiplexgx270 wrote:

That is only if you are running Windows XP PRO and also i suggest limiting the relay by ip address. IE only your own

Oh crap just remembered i must do that bit.

Edit: no its ok i already did and my work is in the allowed ip addresses too humm.

yep true, 10 minutes on google will find you loads of alternatives, just make sure your firewall is working, and dont relay for anyone but your own IP.

netwhizkid

Karsini wrote:

I got hooked up to PermaNET yesterday, the only proper broadband I can get in my area. So far, everything is brilliant except one major flaw.

Hi Karsini, I'm afraid i can't help with youre email problem, but that service sounds interesting, my local community is looking into Group Broadband, but we have first tried getting the Exchange enabled, if that fails it will probably be FWA WAN option. PermaNET operate so far in Kerry in the North Kerry & Sliabh Luchra areas. (according to the DMCNR website) What supposed of speeds are you getting and what are you supposed to be getting? Rarely anyone gets the speeds their supposed to. Whats your download speeds and upload, also does the service require a telephone line and Dial-Up or it a two-way wireless service? And also if its not too much inquisitiveness, How is it affecting the wallet? Is it expensive or okay. Sorry for going off topic but I'd like to know a bit about this company as it might be them that would be providing it for my area should Eircom not enable the Exchange. I guess you mightn't know as your only a customer but i wonder is the service uplinked via a Satellite or ADSL? If it is uplinked via Satellite the Ping times would be horrible and render it useless for online gaming and VOIP.

It's a two-way wireless service, they put an aerial up on my house. But it's certainly not uplinked via satellite:

Pinging www.boards.ie [82.195.136.250] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 82.195.136.250: bytes=32 time=51ms TTL=56
Reply from 82.195.136.250: bytes=32 time=50ms TTL=56
Reply from 82.195.136.250: bytes=32 time=48ms TTL=56
Reply from 82.195.136.250: bytes=32 time=45ms TTL=56

Ping statistics for 82.195.136.250:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 45ms, Maximum = 51ms, Average = 48ms

The rated speed of my package is 1.5Mb down and 512k up, costs me €42.34 a month for that. There's a once-off installation fee of €145.

Download speeds are around 190kb/s. I haven't really tried uploading yet, but so far it seems to be about 30-40kb/s.

There are other packages too, from 512k to 3 megabits: http://www.permanet.ie/services.asp

TimTim

I'd stay away from running your own mail server at home.

There would be a bit of backround configuration which odds are won't be done on your connect so alot of ISPs/Mail providers will reject the mail sent from your home run SMTP server. Aol for an example. (which by its own is probably not too bad)

Robxxx7

PermaNet sounds like an interesting proposition.

I had a little look around and it seems they use DOXlink over a cable modem type service (Wireless). I understand they are running between 3.4 -3.8ghz spectrum .... now my question would be..can i use net stumbler or equivalent to see if i can pick up a signal !!!

Would an old MMDS dish work on this frequency spectrum ?

Robxxx7

I just set up IIS on my PC, works fine so far. Thanks for your help everyone.

Robxxx7 wrote:

PermaNet sounds like an interesting proposition.

I had a little look around and it seems they use DOXlink over a cable modem type service (Wireless). I understand they are running between 3.4 -3.8ghz spectrum .... now my question would be..can i use net stumbler or equivalent to see if i can pick up a signal !!!

Would an old MMDS dish work on this frequency spectrum ?

I haven't tried net stumbler on it, but DOXLink is nothing like wi-fi so I'd assume you wouldn't find anything. The modem is just a bog standard cable modem, nothing special.

Some of the aerials they use look extremely similar to MMDS ones but they have a DOXLink transceiver on the back. The LNB on an MMDS dish would be 2.5-2.68GHz so I doubt they'd work.
However, the aerial they installed on my house was a panel type used in high signal areas, it's a lot smaller than the mesh aerials. Both aerials need a mains socket for the power injector, it sends power up the co-ax to the transceiver outside. So you need two sockets to make it work.

watty

Karsini wrote:

I got hooked up to PermaNET yesterday, the only proper broadband I can get in my area. So far, everything is brilliant except one major flaw.

They have no SMTP server. As a result I can't send anything with my old Esat Clear e-mail unless I use the webmail. I've told them about it and they said they'd investigate. But does anyone here know anything else I can do?

Yes you can. Just make sure you put your POP3 or ISP username and password in for OUTGOING server settings on your Email program.

Works for Eircom SMTP when on anyone elses network. Without a login, of course Eircom does not work.

No the harder one is NTTP (usenet / news servers) as they often do not allow external network logon. In moving from Eircom Dialup to Digiweb, I eventually got a friend abroad who hosts stuff for an ISP to set me up a news account.

But SMTP should be OK if you do your email settings correct.

Works in MDaemon, Outlook Express (most recent version), Netsacpe Communicator, Thunderbird etc. I'm not sure about Eudora as it seems to have nowhere to entery SMTP / Outgoing server usernamer and password.

watty

Robxxx7 wrote:

PermaNet sounds like an interesting proposition.

I had a little look around and it seems they use DOXlink over a cable modem type service (Wireless). I understand they are running between 3.4 -3.8ghz spectrum .... now my question would be..can i use net stumbler or equivalent to see if i can pick up a signal !!!

Would an old MMDS dish work on this frequency spectrum ?

Netstumbler only works with Wifi (depending which Wifi Standard card you have).

For MMDS dish with WiFi you use the old type without LNB and connect dipole cable tail via adaptor to WiFi Card or box. WiFi is 2.4GHz and MMDS is 2.5GHz, which is close enough for a dipole.

Neither the MMDS dipole nor the MMDS LNB (2.5GHz to Cable frequency convertor) will work at 3.5GHz.

Also the LNB is a one way device (RX only) and Wifi and DOCIS etc over Microwave or Metro or Breeze or Ripwave are all TWO way. The aerial has to transmitt too.

Cable to Microwave adaptors (for 2.4, 3.5,, 5.6 or 10GHz) are specialist and differ not just for the frequency change/shift to "cable" but the RF protocol used too.

watty

watty wrote:

Yes you can. Just make sure you put your POP3 or ISP username and password in for OUTGOING server settings on your Email program.

Works for Eircom SMTP when on anyone elses network. Without a login, of course Eircom does not work.

Interesting, but it doesn't work for mail.esatclear.ie, still returns "550 relay not permitted"

jimmycrackcorm

Karsini wrote:

Interesting, but it doesn't work for mail.esatclear.ie, still returns "550 relay not permitted"

that indicates that your email software is still pointing to esat to send the mail instead of your local SMTP server. did you change your email software account settings so that the outgoing smpt server is your own machine?

jimmycrackcorm

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

that indicates that your email software is still pointing to esat to send the mail instead of your local SMTP server. did you change your email software account settings so that the outgoing smpt server is your own machine?

It works with my own SMTP server, I was trying what watty suggested (use the esat mail server but log on)

watty

All my email clients connect to my own MDaemon email server in attic. It uses my original Eircom ISP logon and password (AS IN DIALUP CONNECTION, NOT POP email accout) for its SMTP send connection via a mapped proxy on my firewall on Digiweb Metro to smtp.eircom.net

@permanet

I've gotta bump this thread for one reason.

Permanet have now blocked all SMTP traffic except to smtp.permanet.ie. This means that home run SMTP servers no longer work. But smtp.permanet.ie requires authentication.
Their website now states to e-mail them (how? lol) and they'll provide you with a new @permanet.ie e-mail which will also allow access from your existing address. However this limits things as I'll probably need an account for every address I have (I've two) plus my family's ones.

I've never seen a company so strict about outgoing e-mail.

watty

P.S. Don't use a "open" SMTP server anyway, it is liable to quickly get on black hole lists and then your email is not delivered.

I'd be upset with an ISP that didn't let me use any other SMTP. As well as Eircom from our own LAN we use SMTPs on two domains I have hosted on two hosts in USA and the current ISP also sometimes UL and Skynet email servers.

ALL SMTP ought to require a user name and password though.

DON'T EVER run an SMTP server on your own PC / LAN unless you are very expert in Security and also use 4 or 5 Open relay test sites to make sure you have done the securiy properly. Any MS product for SMTP other than Exchange is only suitable for LAN use inside a protecting separate Firewall box or computer. Self hosting MS Exchange or any real commercial SMTP server securely is for security experts.

oscarBravo

watty wrote:

ALL SMTP ought to require a user name and password though.

Why? What's wrong with an SMTP server that only allows connections from the ISP's customers, but doesn't require authentication?

watty

oscarBravo wrote:

Why? What's wrong with an SMTP server that only allows connections from the ISP's customers, but doesn't require authentication?

If the ISP requires authentication to connect to its network then my criteria has been satisfied. In some cases this may seem to be a generic "free" password and user name, but in that case the phone number used is logged. If the phone number is not available (not just CLI etc as this is inside exchange) the ISP should not allow connection with the "anonymous" free name /password.

To defeat spam and malicious emails.

chamlis

I've had them for 3 weeks now in Kerry. Fantastic. I got the 2Mbit one. I'm on the edge of signal apparently, but no problems yet. Sometimes it hangs, but never for more than 5 mins which was once. Flying then again.