SMTP Server off-line

[Schofeungum29]

Out of the blue I cannot send emails anymore from my MacBook Pro. It appears the SMTPO server is offline and I cannot reconnect.

[Schofeungum29]

smtp server offline

[Black Mamba]

@Schofeungum29 

posted by @ThomM 28.01.2021

Résolu: Swisscom Community - Envoi impossible via smtphaus... - Swisscom Community

"Good evening, if the problem persists, check whether the SMTP authentication is set to" Password ". See https://www.swisscom.ch/cram, greetings"

Bluewin mail: change your Apple email settings | Swisscom

[ThomM]

Good evening Schofeungum29

Please check in your E-mail client that your authentification method for the smtp server is set to "password" and not "CRAM-MD5" (or something else):

SMTP: smtpauths.bluewin.ch (Port 465)

Authentication method: password, normal or SPA deactivated

Hope this helps, Cordially

[Tchris]

Same here: last successful send was around 16:30 today (NAS sending mail to me about switching to UPS and back again after one of those millisecond power-transients that love to fry electronics.

Since then: smtpauths.bluewin.ch shows "offline".

0800800800 no help at all ...suggested to change password in customer centre: I "changed" it to whatever it was before from my password database: bluewin webmail works fine (but probably does not use smtpauths), multiple Macs & iPhones receive (IMAPS) from bluewin webmail and from other senders, but cannot send (SMTPAUTHS is showing an Offline error).

No, I'm not using any variant of MD5 authentication,  just password.

I do note one change... the current Swisscom instructions say to use "Swisscom" (just Swisscom!!!) as your e-mail address on the first screen for setting up a new mail account (stupid!). My existing accounts all use the real mail address in this position.

So... Hi Swisscom: fix it; and please fix it so it makes sense -- my mail address is **NOT** Swisscom.

Chris

EDITED: spell check got in the way -- bluefin.ch !!!

[Tchris]

no, it's not authentication settings. [EDIT: yes it was ...read on]

no, it's not a password issue.

Next suggestion?

Chris

[Black Mamba]

@Tchris 

I would first check that you have the password corresponding to the @Bluewin.ch account. This password is not the same as the one you use to enter the Swissom customer center or your webmail. This password can be reset in the customer center or the mySwisscom App

https://www.swisscom.ch/myswisscom/

Second I would check, as already suggested here, that you use the setup guide

https://emailsetup.swisscom.ch/guide

or

www.swisscom.ch/email-update

Alternatively you can use the following parameters directly (for experienced users)

Incoming mail server

IMAP4: imaps.bluewin.ch (Port 993)
POP3: pop3s.bluewin.ch (Port 995)
Use SSL
Authentication: Password
CRAM/Digest/MD5 deactivated

Outgoing mail server
SMTP: smtpauths.bluewin.ch (Port 465)
Use SSL

Authentication method: Password (sometimes also called Normal)
CRAM/Digest/MD5 deactivated

Hope this helps

[Tchris]

@Black Mamba 

Thanks for the suggestions - all five of my MacAirs have used identical settings that were first established in early 2015 when I switched from Windows to Mac OS.

My mail settings [EDIT: these settings are NOT obeyed ...read on] are below -- nothing changed since since configuring two new MacAirs (OS Big Sur) mid-November. 

IMAPS continues to work.

SMTPAUTHS remains "Offline"!

...on BOTH new MacAir.

A new discovery this morning: I fired up a semi-retired MacAir (OS Mojave)  ...IMAPS and SMTPAUTHS work perfectly using exactly the same mail-settings as the two new MacAirs.

Conclusion: problem is not with my Mail-settings, WiFi, Network, Firewall, Router, Internet-connect.

Something somewhere changed, and killed mail on new-Macs but not on old-Macs.

...investigations continue.

Chris

[ThomM]

Good morning Tchris,

If you could send e-mails yesterday and minutes later from the same device/client get an error then it is not related to an MD5 issue. Does it work again now ?

I quickly looked at https://www.swisscom.ch/en/residential/help/internet/setting-up-repairing-e-mail.html#! and could not find the "Swisscom" in the account name you mentioned. Can you let us know where you found this mistake ?

Cordially

[Black Mamba]

@Tchris 

recent similar problems were noted on the Community in German

without currently validated solution 😐

follow these discussions to see if a solution will be advanced

Mail über bluewin smtpauths.bluewin.ch nicht mögli... | Swisscom Community

E-Mail senden geht nicht mehr (Mac OS Catalina) | Swisscom Community

[Tchris]

@Black Mamba 

mmmmmm!

new-Mac logs show a lot of update activity on 1st February!

...maybe Apple broke something.

Thanks for the German links ...I don't read German, but I'll give it a try.

Chris

[Tchris]

@ThomM 

No, the mail sent 2nd February at 16:21 was NOT sent by new-Mac, but by a Synology NAS (using identical mail settings, but they display differently in the Synology of course).

I checked: there were ZERO mails send attempts by either of the two new-Macs 

...after the software updates late evening 1st February and

...before my mail +/- 18:00 that retuned the smtpauths "Offline" error.

I tried the four bluewin mail accounts on my new-Mac, and the three bluewin mail accounts on my wife's new-Mac: receive worked; send failed.

This morning, my old-Mac and my wife's old-Mac function correctly for all bluewin accounts.

1st February Apple update seems to be the culprit for the new-Macs.

Strangely,  I have the same issue with two iPhones: both show an update pending but not yet applied. Unfortunately I have no idea how to access iPhone logs.

...investigation continues.

Chris

[Tchris]

@ThomM 

See Etape 2 sur 7 at:

https://emailsetup.swisscom.ch/guide/#step=manual-2

Chris

[MarcelG]

@Tchris 

Regarding the Synology sending issue: have you anymore data there?

And regarding the macOS Help:

Entering "Swisscom" here is done on purpose (it could be any string for that matter just not the proper mail address) this way auto-configuration fails and you get to the advanced dialog that is shown in "Etape 3 sur 7", there are some configurations that are not necessarily applied properly during auto-configuration and that is the reason for introducing this in this guide.

As @Black Mamba mentioned there are some threads in the German part of the community that seem to experience similar issues with macOS Big Sur and/or Catalina. The fix there was to go to the "Account" drop down in the "Server Settings"

Select "Edit SMTP Server List..." and check the settings for Bluewin there, as it seems the settings on the main dialog are sometimes ignored by macOS now.

[ThomM]

@Tchris,

Thank you, see the answer of MarcelG below

Cordially

[Tchris]

@MarcelG 

There are no Synology mail issues.

Yesterday, the Syno sent me two mails, both timed 16:21:

...the first said it was switching from mains power to UPS;

...the second said it was switching back from UPS to mains power.

Syno "manages" the UPS that protects itself, the firewall, and a small Linux box managing WiFi..

(we "enjoy" quite frequent millisecond power-outages that have destroyed firewall and NAS in the past)

Mac OS issues:

Here is what your suggested dropdown shows:

I guess that Authentication stuff needs to go!

Chris

[Tchris]

@MarcelG 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Setting that Authentication mess back to Password fixes it.

Thanks so much for your help.

Chris

[Tchris]

Thanks to everyone who responded.

In the end, you were all correct and it was a simple authentication issue, but for reasons best known to Apple, the main Mac OS mail-server settings screen seems to be ignored.

Chris

[Black Mamba]

@Tchris  or  @Schofeungum29 

in order to close a topic by the initiator, if the problem is resolved

please accept a post as approved solution

to do this, use the option Solution? at the bottom left of the post

Is the answer a solution to your contribution?

So mark it as a solution or use the equivalent option with the toothed wheel at the top right of the post

[Tchris]

@Black Mamba 

Unfortunately I piggy-backed on an existing problem -- sorry, I'm not allowed to mark as solved, only @Schofeungum29 can do that (if he did have the same {now solved} problem).

Unrelated note: our iPhones had automagically switched smtpauths authentication to MD5 Challenge (i.e. not the same switch seen on the new-Macs), and were fixed with the reset to Password authentication.

I have 11 Apple devices due for updates tonight: best if they don't screw-up; ok if they make the same fixable screw-up; worst if they find a new way to complicate my life.

Chris