# No SMTP with postfix/dovecot on Rocky 9.2

**URL:** <https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070>\
**Category:** Rocky Linux Help & Support\
**Created:** [May 26, 2023, 10:30am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070 "2023-05-26T10:30:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 10:30am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/1 "2023-05-26T10:30:40Z")

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Hello. My IMAPS works fine, but I have no SMTP submission port recognized at all in more than one client. There seems to be a PAM error. I am using a regular system account. Any help is appreciated.

> **Configuration**
>
> ```auto
> 
> ❯ sudo cat /etc/pam.d/dovecot
> 
> #%PAM-1.0
> auth required pam_nologin.so
> auth include password-auth
> account include password-auth
> session include password-auth
> 
> ❯ sudo postconf -n
> alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
> alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
> command_directory = /usr/sbin
> compatibility_level = 2
> daemon_directory = /usr/libexec/postfix
> data_directory = /var/lib/postfix
> debug_peer_level = 2
> debugger_command = PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin ddd $daemon_directory/$process_name $process_id & sleep 5
> disable_vrfy_command = yes
> header_checks = regexp:/etc/postfix/header_checks
> html_directory = no
> inet_interfaces = $myhostname, localhost
> inet_protocols = all
> mail_owner = postfix
> mail_spool_directory = /var/spool/mail
> mailq_path = /usr/bin/mailq.postfix
> manpage_directory = /usr/share/man
> meta_directory = /etc/postfix
> mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost, mail.$myhostname
> mydomain = theorionarm.net
> myhostname = theorionarm.net
> mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::1]/128
> myorigin = $myhostname
> newaliases_path = /usr/bin/newaliases.postfix
> queue_directory = /var/spool/postfix
> readme_directory = /usr/share/doc/postfix/README_FILES
> sample_directory = /usr/share/doc/postfix/samples
> sendmail_path = /usr/sbin/sendmail.postfix
> setgid_group = postdrop
> shlib_directory = /usr/lib64/postfix
> smtp_tls_CAfile = /etc/pki/ca-trust/extracted/pem/email-ca-bundle.pem
> smtp_tls_CApath = /etc/pki/ca-trust/extracted/pem/
> smtp_tls_cert_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/theorionarm.net/privkey.pem
> smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name
> smtpd_helo_required = yes
> smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
> smtpd_sasl_local_domain = theorionarm.net
> smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
> smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
> smtpd_tls_CAfile = /etc/pki/ca-trust/extracted/pem/email-ca-bundle.pem
> smtpd_tls_CApath = /etc/pki/ca-trust
> smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/theorionarm.net/cert.pem
> smtpd_tls_chain_files = /etc/letsencrypt/live/theorionarm.net/fullchain.pem
> smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/letsencrypt/live/theorionarm.net/privkey.pem
> smtpd_tls_security_level = encrypt
> smtpd_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtpd_scache
> smtpd_tls_wrappermode = yes
> smtpd_use_tls = yes
> unknown_local_recipient_reject_code = 550
> 
> ❯ sudo doveconf -n
> # 2.3.16 (7e2e900c1a): /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf
> # OS: Linux 5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2.x86_64 x86_64 Rocky Linux release 9.2 (Blue Onyx)
> # Hostname: theorionarm.net
> auth_mechanisms = plain login
> base_dir = /var/run/dovecot/
> disable_plaintext_auth = no
> first_valid_uid = 1000
> mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/spool/mail/%u
> mbox_write_locks = fcntl
> namespace inbox {
> hidden = no
> inbox = yes
> list = yes
> location =
> mailbox Drafts {
> special_use = \Drafts
> }
> mailbox Junk {
> special_use = \Junk
> }
> mailbox Sent {
> special_use = \Sent
> }
> mailbox "Sent Messages" {
> special_use = \Sent
> }
> mailbox Trash {
> special_use = \Trash
> }
> prefix =
> separator = /
> type = private
> }
> passdb {
> args = failure_show_msg=yes dovecot
> driver = pam
> }
> protocols = imap pop3
> service auth {
> unix_listener /var/spool/postfix/private/auth {
> group = postfix
> mode = 0660
> user = postfix
> }
> }
> service imap-login {
> inet_listener imap {
> port = 0
> }
> inet_listener imaps {
> port = 993
> ssl = yes
> }
> }
> service lmtp {
> unix_listener lmtp {
> mode = 0666
> }
> }
> service pop3-login {
> inet_listener pop3 {
> port = 110
> }
> inet_listener pop3s {
> port = 995
> ssl = yes
> }
> }
> ssl_ca = /etc/pki/dovecot/certs/ca.pem
> ssl_cert = </etc/letsencrypt/live/theorionarm.net/fullchain.pem
> ssl_cipher_list = PROFILE=SYSTEM
> ssl_client_ca_dir = /etc/pki/tls
> ssl_key = # hidden, use -P to show it
> ssl_verify_client_cert = yes
> submission_client_workarounds = whitespace-before-path
> userdb {
> driver = passwd
> }
> 
> ```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cphusion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/cphusion/32/3235_2.png) [@Cphusion](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/Cphusion)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/2 "2023-05-26T20:20:36Z")

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> [@theorionarm](#):
>
> There seems to be a PAM error. I am using a regular system account.

It will probably be useful if you shared the error you are getting. I’m running Postifx and Dovecot on my vps which is running Rocky 9.2 with with a virtual domain setup and have the transmission port enabled and I have no issues with it. Are you only have issues with the authentication part or is the nothing listening on the transmission port?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/3 "2023-05-28T00:12:47Z")

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It was a generic pam authentication error. I switched to cyrus and saslauthdb which I like better than dovecot, and SASL is working and doesn’t seem to be the issue, I just can’t get SMTP to respond at all. I am not sure if cyrus needs my domain’s certificates as well or just postfix, but either way I can’t connect to 25, 587, etc. when they are listening. smtptest works locally.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/4 "2023-05-28T01:39:46Z")

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It’s the oddest thing. Like the SMTP doesn’t exist when it’s right there. It happened with dovecot as well. While IMAP and SASL work fine. It’s a quite simple setup. I dropped it down to opportunistic TLS and I still can’t telnet to port 25.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cphusion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/cphusion/32/3235_2.png) [@Cphusion](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/Cphusion)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 8:55am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/5 "2023-05-28T08:55:52Z")

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> [@theorionarm](#):
>
> I am not sure if cyrus needs my domain’s certificates as well or just postfix

I have never used Cyrus so I can’t comment on that. But as how dovecot works, you authenticate as a user defined in dovecot to the to be allowed to send mail using Postfix, so you would then be using Postfix’s certificate since dovecot is configured to be able to talk to postfix and Dovecot configured to talk to Postfix for sasl authentication. Keeping in mind it is possible to connect on different names on imap and smtp so it would be illogical if you had to use the same certificate on both and if that were the case it would be mentioned in the documentation.

> [@theorionarm](#):
>
> but either way I can’t connect to 25, 587, etc. when they are listening. smtptest works locally.

What happens when you try connecting to 25 or 587 when not connecting to it locally but from remote, a time-out or something else?

> [@theorionarm](#):
>
> I dropped it down to opportunistic TLS and I still can’t telnet to port 25.

I don’t know if it’s an internet facing mailserver or internal mailserver but “opportunistic” is still advised for an internet facing Postfix mailserver.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/6 "2023-05-28T20:53:36Z")

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I feel like this must be a network or TLS problem since regardless of the backend I use I can’t find the SMTP server. Though if it were a certificate issue then you would think the IMAP would not work.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/7 "2023-05-28T21:53:41Z")

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Ok, my apologies, my hosting company blocks SMTP and I have to contact them to get them open.Oops.

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**Author:** ![smart](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/smart/32/3145_2.png) [@smart](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/smart)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/8 "2023-05-28T22:40:44Z")

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lol mate you should do yourself a favor and swap to a more reliable hosting company 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/9 "2023-05-29T02:15:52Z")

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I think it’s for security reasons. Just means I have to use a nonstandard port until they open it for me.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![theorionarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@theorionarm](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/theorionarm)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/10 "2023-05-29T02:19:55Z")

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I can see why the dovecot route is more popular than cyrus; I had to make my own systemd socket file just so cyrus could bind somewhere to get mail from postfix 🙂 still like it better than dovecot though, a lot more features.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cphusion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/cphusion/32/3235_2.png) [@Cphusion](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/Cphusion)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/11 "2023-05-29T07:12:05Z")

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> [@theorionarm](#):
>
> Ok, my apologies, my hosting company blocks SMTP and I have to contact them to get them open.Oops.

This is your home ISP or a vps hosting company?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brian](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/brian/32/5777_2.png) [@brian](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/brian)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/no-smtp-with-postfix-dovecot-on-rocky-9-2/10070/12 "2023-08-25T03:12:40Z")

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