Using an existing SMTP account on a different server?

[chewmanfoo]

Guys,

Has anyone found a way to use an existing SMTP account on a different servier to send mail from a PHP script? For instance, in order to have the set up the "register a user ---> send email to user ---> confirm user identity with reply" loop, you need to be able to send an email automatically from the web server. But my corporate web server is NOT running any mail servers. But we have a mail server in the rack next to it. How can I use that mail server in a different box to send and recieve email from the web server box?

Thanks!
chewmanfoo

[Xoid]

This is a rudimentary example, ofcourse there are better examples out there but this will hopefully give you an idea on how it's done.

Hope it helps!

<?php
$smtp = @fsockopen("IP_Address",25,$errno,$errdesc,30);

if(!$smtp)
{
print "Could not connect to SMTP server";
}
else {
print "Connect to SMTP server\n";
print fgets($smtp,256);

       $helo = fputs($smtp, "helo server\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       $send = fputs($smtp, "MAIL FROM: <Email address>\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       $send2 = fputs($smtp, "RCPT TO: <Email address>\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       $send3 = fputs($smtp, "DATA\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       $send4 = fputs($smtp, "HELLO HELLO JUST TESTING\n.\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       fputs($smtp,"QUIT\n");
       print fgets($smtp,256);

       fclose($smtp);


     }

?>

[chewmanfoo]

Hey, that's certainly a way to do it. Open a socket on port 25, send the expected protocol for SMTP, close the socket. Surely there's a simpler way to do it. I'm impressed by this solution, but it's not what I'm looking for.
I know that PHP has a built in mail function:

mail($to, $subject, $message, $other);
where $other can be used to pass an additional parameter to the program configured to use when sending mail using the sendmail_path configuration setting. For example, this can be used to set the envelope sender address when using sendmail with the -f sendmail option.

But the server doesn't have sendmail configured on it. I need to use an external server. I guess I'm looking for a mail_external() function...

Thanks!
chewmanfoo

[Xoid]

Sorry, if the solution was not good, but that's the only way I can really think of if you haven't got sendmail installed.

still it's pretty fast once you tidy the code up a little 😉

HTH.

[chewmanfoo]

Actually, I know I came off sounding critical, but your solution was actually very good. I was simply wondering if the mail() function supported external mail servers.

Your solution was creative and clearly effective, and I may steal your idea anyway ;-)