Testing a SMTP sever using Telnet

The functional status of SMTP servers can be verified by using Telnet to send a test message. Why would you ever use such an unfriendly interface to send email? Telnet provides the ability to communicate directly with the SMTP and bypass all other components such as email clients, gateway, etc. From a computer with an internet connection and Telnet, use the following steps to send a test message.

1. Execute Telnet by typing Telnet domain-name 25 then pressing enter. This command instructs Telnet to execute and opens a port 25 connection to the domain specified. The exact server response is contingent upon the email system being used. The critical response item is the first few characters that indicate the status code. For this step a status code of 220 indicates the server is available to service your request.

220 xyz.com ESMTP MDaemon 9.6.2; Tue 18 Sep 2007 05:38:37 -0400

2. The e-mail server now expecting you to identify yourself by entering helo your-id then pressing enter. Just about any string will suffice for identification including your login id, first name, computer manufacture, etc. The status code returned by this command should be 250 indicating handshaking has taken place.

250 xyz.com Hello 05-928-348.area7.spcsdns.net, pleased to meet you

3. Next enter mail from: email address@domain then pressing enter. Most SMTP servers require the email address to be valid and from the actual SMTP domain you are connected to. This is done as a security feature to limit email relays by unauthorized users. Note: a space exists between from: and the email address. Once entered, you should see a status code of 250 indicating handshaking has taken place. A status code of 550 indicates unauthorized user.

250 Sender email address entered, Sender ok

4. Next enter the recipients email address by entering rcpt to: address@domain then pressing enter. You should see a status code of 250 indicating the email address has been accepted.

250 Recipient email address, Recipient ok

5. Next we need to inform the server we wish to enter the message text by typing data then pressing enter. You should see a status code of 354 indicating the data command has been accepted.

354 Please start mail input, end with CRLF . CRLF

6. Next enter the subject line of the message by entering subject: xyz123 then pressing enter twice. The server will not return a status code.

7. Type the message test. Once completed, press enter, type a period, and press enter again. This sequence tells the server you have completed the message. A status code of 250 indicating the message is ok and queued for delivery.

250 Mail queued for delivery.

8. Type quit and press enter to stop Telnet communications with the server. A status code of 221 indicating the connecting is closing should be displayed.

221 closing connection see you in cyberspace

Common SMTP Status Codes

Code	Description
200	Non-standard success response
211	System status message
214	Help message formatted for human reader follows
220	SMTP service ready
221	Service/connection closing
250	Successful request. Action completed.
251	Recipient is not local to the server, but the server will accept and forward the message
252	Recipient cant be verified, but the server will accept the message and attempt delivery
354	Indicates the server is ready to accept a message once you’ve entered From and To
421	Service is not available and connection will be closed
450	Requested command failed because the recipients mailbox is unavailable
451	Command has been aborted due to a server error
452	Command has been aborted because the server has insufficient system storage
500	Server could not recognize the command was due to a syntax error
501	Syntax error was found in command arguments
502	Command was not implemented
503	Server has encountered a bad command or sequence of commands
504	Command parameter is not implemented
521	Domain does not accept mail
530	Access denied
550	Command failed because the users mailbox was unavailable
551	Recipient is not local to the server
552	Action was aborted because storage allocation was exceeded
553	Action was aborted because the mailbox name was invalid
554	Transaction failed

Closing

Using Telnet to test the operational status of SMTP servers is a simple way to troubleshoot mail delivery. The bonus, Telnet is included with most operating systems.

About the Author

Lew Newlin is CTO of Information Solutions, Inc. that operates SiteRecon that specializes in email monitoring and web site monitoring for businesses.

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