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I would like to know if server has access to internet and if it can send email with the help of a python script. Server OS is Red Hat Enterprise 5. When I open firefox and enter an url, it can't connect. What shell commands should I use to check availability of sending email?

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  • You mean you think you're on a connection with HTTP firewalled but SMTP permitted? Jun 29, 2012 at 23:46
  • Yes, exactly. How to tell?
    – alwbtc
    Jun 30, 2012 at 18:12
  • See below. If you can communicate via telnet on port 25 you can connect via SMTP - if you can't, you can't.
    – lonstar
    Jul 3, 2012 at 19:27

2 Answers 2

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First make sure that you are connected to the internet by trying a ping command to one of the most popular site.

Example: ping www.google.com

This will make sure you have the internet connectivity.

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You can also try mailx on your system but this won't tell you anything about sending mail. You will need an SMTP host for that.

Try to telnet to a known mailhost on port 25:

telnet (name of mail host) 25

if you get a connection you should be in business, otherwise the request will block and make you wait.

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  • I get this error: Escape character is '^]'. 421 4.3.2 Service not available Connection closed by foreign host. What is wrong?
    – alwbtc
    Jul 20, 2012 at 11:32
  • Your question was " What shell commands should I use to check availability of sending email?" - the telnet command connected to the foreign host, but the host rejected the connection. This is common to prevent spamming. However, it does answer your questions 1) your server does have access to the internet, and 2) it is able to communicate on port 25.
    – lonstar
    Jul 21, 2012 at 2:06

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