Troubleshooting the Mail Server
This section helps you address problems that may occur when you are running the AppleShare IP Mail Server.
This section tells you how what to do if:
The Mail Server won't start up
| • | Check the Mail Server error log for a variety of circumstances that prevent the Mail Server from starting up. |
| • | Try renaming the Mail Database file. If that corrects the problem, the Mail Server was probably having problems with the Mail Database, and you should run the AppleShare IP Mail Tool program that comes on your AppleShare IP 6.0 CD. |
Restored Users & Groups are outdated
| • | If you've restored a backup copy of your AppleShare IP 5.0 Users & Groups Data File, the Users & Groups information needs to be updated to AppleShare IP 6.0 settings using the AppleShare IP Mail Tool. The Mail Mail Tool program comes on your AppleShare IP 6.0 CD. |
A particular user is having trouble sending mail
| • | If the mail is addressed to a user that connects to the same Mail Server, verify that mail is enabled for the addressee. |
| • | Check the Mail Server Activity window. If the number of active users and the number of users sending mail is always high, there may be too many users trying to connect at the same time. See Increasing concurrent user connections. |
| • | Make sure that there is enough free space on the volume in which the mail database is stored for the Mail Server to receive the message. |
| • | Check the size of the mail the user is trying to send. Mail Servers can limit the size of messages. (For instructions about limiting the size of incoming messages, see Setting a maximum message size.) |
| • | Check the Mail Server log to see if there is a pattern of failed connections for the mail server to which the mail is being sent. That mail server may be busy or down. For instructions on viewing the log, see Viewing the mail logs. |
| • | If the destination is a computer for which your name server provides DNS server, check the MX record on the DNS server. It may be set up incorrectly. If you change the MX record, remember that DNS caches must be flushed before the change takes effect. |
| • | Verify that the user is allowed to send SMTP mail. The administrator may have disabled the default SMTP port 25. For instructions, see Changing mail protocol settings. |
| • | Make sure that the Mail Server and the user's computer are using the same DNS server. (The DNS server is specified in the TCP/IP control panel.) If they are using different DNS servers, make sure the MX records match on both DNS servers. For information about NDS and MX records, see How mail service works. |
A particular user is having trouble receiving mail
| • | Check the user's user name, password, and Internet alias in the Users & Groups Data File. For instructions on checking or changing these settings, see Changing a user name, Internet alias, or password. |
| • | Make sure mail is enabled for the user in the user's mail panel, and that forwarding is not set. For instructions, see Enabling and disabling mail service. |
| • | If the user's mail account is set up for an APOP-encrypted password, make sure that the user's client mail application is also set up for APOP. (To verify the user's apop settings, see step 9 in Enabling and disabling mail service.) |
| • | If the user is having trouble receiving replies to mail that he or she has sent previously, make sure that the user's e-mail address is correctly set up in the client mail application's return information field. |
A particular user's mail is unexpectedly deleted
Check to see if the user has a joint IMAP and POP mail boxe. If
so, make sure the user is logging on to the Mail Server using
both a POP and IMAP client. If the user is only logging on, for
example, using an IMAP client, but the POP client is set to retrieve
mail on a regular basis, the mail may be downloading to the user's
hard disk before the user sees it in the mail box.
You should enable separate POP and IMAP mailboxes and tell the user to be sure to log on using both clients. Or, if the user is only logging on using one client, disable the other protocol.
For more information, see Enabling and disabling mail service.
Mail is being delivered to the wrong place
| • | Verify that the correct address is specified for mail forwarding in the user's mail settings. For instructions on setting this address, see Forwarding mail addressed to local users. |
| • | Check the client mail application's address book. It may have an out-of-date address for the recipient. |
| • | Verify that the MX record for the recipient's host is configured correctly. For information about MX records, see How mail service works. |
Users say that "Reply to all" doesn't work
| • | Verify that the reply uses a fully qualified domain name for each recipient. |
Users say that they cannot connect to the Mail Server
| • | Check the Mail Server Activity window. If the number of active users and the number of users sending mail is always high, there may be too many users trying to connect at the same time. See Increasing concurrent user connections. |
| • | If you are running the Web & File Server or the Print Server on the same computer as the Mail Server, the Web & File Server or Print Server may be too busy. Consider adding more RAM to the computer or moving the Mail Server to a computer that can be dedicated for mail service. |
The Mail Server can't connect to another computer that provides mail service
| • | The Mail Server uses port 25 to make SMTP connections for the exchange of mail with other computers that provide mail service. Verify that port 25 is enabled on the other computer. (For security, some network administrators enable only those ports that they know applications need to use, and disable the other ports.) |
| Also make sure that the port number over which you'd like to communicate is being used. For instructions on editing the port number for each protocol, see Changing mail protocol settings. |
Users say the Mail Server performance is slow or that it's denying connections
If it's taking a long time for users to connect to the Mail Server
or the server is denying users' connections, there may be too
much traffic on the Mail Server. You should consider moving the
server to another computer. For instructions, see Moving the Mail Server to another computer.