Sending Messages Via SMTPRA Telnet Commands This document briefly details how to send a message through SMTPRA using Telnet commands. This can be useful when debugging issues with spam scoring or viruses.

To test for either a spam score or a virus, you need to have a copy of the original .msg file. This can be found on the BOX directory under the relevant user folder.

Telnet

The basic telnet commands to send a message are provided below. These commands can be executed via a Command Prompt. The commands given in Code are what you should type, followed by 'Enter'.

Type:

• telnet <IP_Address> 25 Replace with the IP address of your mail server. Wait for SMTP greeting
• ehlo
• mail from:<email@domain.com> Replace with your return email address. Wait for server to return with OK signal
• rcpt to:<user@domain.co> Replace with recipient. Wait for server to reply with an OK signal
• data Wait for server to return OK signal
• Enter the message, or copy the text from the .msg file and paste. Ensure there is a clear line followed by . (period). This indicates the end of transmission to the server.

For example:

telnet mail.rockliffe.com 25
ehlo
mail from:<test@rockliffe.com>
rcpt to:<support@rockliffe.com>
data
This is a test message
.

Remember the final ' . ' indicates the end of the session. If you make a mistake at any point, you will need to retype the whole command again. You cannot use the 'backspace' or 'delete' keys.

For more information on SMTPRA protocol commands please refer to RFC 821.

If you are testing for a virus, you should receive a rejection message. If you are testing for the spam score, make sure you have enabled a sieve filter rule to expose the spam score. You can then log into the account which the message was sent to and view the score. The methods described above can also be used to test if sieve filters are working as expected.