Setting up SMTP in Xibo for Docker

CMS Version

xibo-docker-3.3.2

Installation Method

Docker

Operating System

Ubuntu LTS 22.04

So far I didn’t manage to get the email notifications to work. Neither with our own Exchange Server which is local or an Gmail account. Preferred way would be Exchange.
For now its pretty unclear where the informations need to be inserted in the config.env .

This is what I’ve thought of:

CMS_SMTP_SERVER=exchange_server_ip:25
CMS_SMTP_USERNAME=domain-name\user
CMS_SMTP_PASSWORD=userpassword
CMS_SMTP_USE_TLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_USE_STARTTLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_REWRITE_DOMAIN=domain.de
CMS_SMTP_HOSTNAME=domain.de

My first suggestion would be to try using destination ports 587 or 465, in that order; mail servers are often much pickier about port 25 since it’s the transport channel, not just merely a local-user submission channel.

Secondly, will your Exchange server allow that username there to be a domain username? I would expect it to want a mailbox name instead, user@domain.com

As for TLS and STARTTLS, one of those might also be troublesome, more likely the latter.

What errors are you getting on mail-send attempts, and where?

1 Like

Hi,
first of all thanks for taking your time.

As you mentioned, using the mailbox as login also works (as i tested with manual login)

So now i use the following:

CMS_SMTP_SERVER=exchange_server_ip:587
CMS_SMTP_USERNAME=user@domain.de
CMS_SMTP_PASSWORD=userpassword
CMS_SMTP_USE_TLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_USE_STARTTLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_REWRITE_DOMAIN=domain.de
CMS_SMTP_HOSTNAME=domain.de

Weirdly im not getting any errors in the logs. But the messages wee attempted to send. Just nothing arrived.

When i manually trying to send mails via telnet command, im able to send them with (telnet ip smtp) and (telnet ip 25). 587 and 465 wont let me send.

Ok. Next up: the Exchange server may not allow incoming mail to port 25 to leave the mail server, unless it’s been told to, somehow. An authenticated login might be enough, or you may need to whitelist the sending machine’s IP…

This is done to avoid letting machines become spam-repeaters for off-net third parties.

1 Like

Hi,
so as i also needed another service, i found out that the 587 authenticated login works for our exchange.
As i not needed to whitelist the other machine, I guess we can also delete that from the list of possibilities.

So to clarify: other senders can connect to your exchange via tcp/587 authenticated, and send mail out to the greater Internet… but your Xibo installation cannot?

1 Like

Yes, thats right. So i think the error when testing with xibo was not the 587 port itself but another setting.

Could it be the cms_smtp_hostname?
Im still not sure if i understood correctly what needs to be inserted there and where i would find out the needed hostname

So far I can see is that you are using O365 with a usermailbox?
If so, please check the following article from Microsoft.Enable or disable SMTP AUTH in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn
Could be that you need to enable the SMTP authentication for the mailbox and tenant.

One the reasons I just sticked using direct mail is the behavior of SMTP lately from Microsoft. The want to stop supporting this method.
#option2 (if choosing this option, just blank the username/password in your config file.

We are using an locally hostet Exchange. Does that make a difference to your message?

I think it does!
I am not sure if Microsoft is also depreciating SMTP on local exchange server. So it depends on you exchange version. I would say that if you are able to start a telnet session … Did you tried these settings?

CMS_SMTP_SERVER=fqdn_domainname_from_outside:25
CMS_SMTP_USERNAME=usermailbox@domain.de
CMS_SMTP_PASSWORD=userpassword
CMS_SMTP_USE_TLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_USE_STARTTLS=YES
CMS_SMTP_REWRITE_DOMAIN=domain.de
CMS_SMTP_HOSTNAME=domain.de

1 Like

Yes. We tried that before. Didnt work

Everything is activated as explained

Well, if your mail server is allowing unauthenticated inbound smtp/25 to external hosts, it’s a spam amplifier, and someone need to check that out…

Add it to your SPF record… use DMARC and DKIM and you are good to go!

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