Mail problem: "This is a message in Mime Format"

uriel01

Hi everyone.
I tried to upgrade last week to v1.17.2. As soon as I installed all new configuration, all the emails started coming with that message "This is a message in Mime Format. If you see this, your mail reader does not support this format."

I already checked the forum and found this question, but the only answer is to create a SMTP Server. Until now, I've always used a no_reply account which is not created at all, so I don't have to worry about any email sent to that account.
I would like to know if there's some way outside of a new SMTP account to maintain that no_reply@mydomain without creating the account and avoiding receive emails in that account.
Thanks!

nicolafarina

MIME format could not be related to SMTP. SMTP it's the e-mail sending protocol, while MIME it's the format of the messages: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Basics_of_HTTP/MIME_types

Which e-mail client do you use to read those e-mails sent by osTicket?

nicolafarina

Or, maybe related to PHPmail/SMTP setup: https://forum.osticket.com/d/101648-email-this-is-a-message-in-mime-format

uriel01

Yes, what I'm saying is that kind of emails with that MIME format started coming when I upgraded to the new version, and before posting, I've seen some people asking about the same thing, and the proposed solution is create an SMTP account, and then the emails stopped coming in MIME format for them.
However, I don't want to create an account, I would prefer to keep that no_reply@domain email, an account which isn't configured. Don't know if there's a way.
In every client I tried the emails are in that format.

KevinTheJedi

uriel01

nicolafarina is correct in that this is due to Sendmail. You should really configure and use SMTP for outgoing mail so that it gets sent through a proper mailserver and formatted correctly.

Cheers.

nicolafarina

I'm not a Linux guy, so what I can understand is that it's a PHPmail issue in formatting the messages. I strongly suggest using an SMTP server, so you can define security polices like SPF and so on.

Cheers.

uriel01

KevinTheJedi I'm going to use SMTP, but how can I configure that account to be a no-reply one? There's a way? I want to reject all the emails that could be send to it. Don't want email inbound.
Cheers.

nicolafarina

Simply use a non-existing "noreply@YOURDOMAIN.XXX" as sender e-mail address. SMTP credentials need to be valid but are not related to the sender e-mail address that receivers will see.

nicolafarina

Just a note: how can one reply to a ticket of yours if you don't want inbound messages?

uriel01

nicolafarina we use that non-created 'no-reply' account to notify users when they submit a ticket, reset their password or receive a reply. All the comunication is done inside the same portal, and if it's necessary, we have a technical support acount to make inquiries, but we've never wanted to send all automatic emails by osTicket with that account as the outbound.

uriel01

About SMTP configuration, port is 25, but where we can found the correct hostname?
After configure it at Emails, there's something else we have to do?

nicolafarina

Ehmmm, you need an SMTP account on a server/service of yours...

Example:
you have Gmail account "xxxxx@gmail.com" with password "yyyyyyy"
then you have to authenticate against their SMTP server with those credentials, but you need Google SMTP params: https://www.gmass.co/blog/gmail-smtp/

uriel01

nicolafarina I don't understand, you said above that I don't have to use an existing account, only have valid SMTP credentials. That credentials you mentioned are the host name and port number needed to enable SMTP into osTicket? I'm reading the links you shared but I'm still looking for where I should find that credentials I need.

I always had set that no-reply@mydomain.xxx account without creating it, and now I need to enable SMTP but don't know where to find that data I need to. Furthermore, the Basic Authentication option requires a password, password I don't have bc the account is not created.

nicolafarina

Wait a min, I'm a bit confused.

1) You need to send e-mails from osTickets
2) For sending mail in a reliable way you need to use a regular SMTP method, thus an SMTP server that sends emails for you
3) An SMTP server could be private (inside your network) or hosted by someone else (f.e. ISPs)
4) An SMTP server could let you send emails without credentials (unacceptable nowadays) or request an authentication process (like basic one with username and password)
5) It all depends on SMTP server that you want to use

It's exactly the same of configuring an e-mail client like Outlook, Thundebird, etc.!

nicolafarina

The e-mail address that you specify in the field "FROM:" of an email message is completely unrelated from the SMTP account credentials thus, you can use "noreply@xxxxxxxx" even if this address is not real.

uriel01

nicolafarina Thanks a lot for all the help, I'm really beginner in all of this email configuration things, that's why I'm asking always the same. So, I understood that there's no need on create an account, but, that SMTP credentials, where I have to create them?

nicolafarina

You need to know which SMTP server you have available! I can't know :-) As I understood from your message, it's impossible that you manage a server by yourself inside your internal network, so you need to use an external SMTP server like Gmail or other email providers.

I repeat, it's the same thing of configuring an e-mail client like Outlook. You use SMTP for sending emails, so you have to know which service you bought or that you use for free (like Gmail, f.e.).

I suppose your company for which you are installing osTicket had e-mail mailboxes, so you have an e-mail provider...

uriel01

Hello, I've just configured SMTP with my no-reply account in osTicket.
With that 'No Authentication Required' I managed to make the changes succesfully:

I've also change that option 'Default MTA' setting my no-reply email.

However, I'm still receiving all the emails with that "This is a message in Mime Format. If you see this, your mail reader does not support this format." Don't know in what I failed, maybe in that Authentication option, but i'm stuck right now.

uriel01

Update! I've set port 25 instead of 587 and in cPanel email clients now the visualization is fine. But in Gmail, for example, it's still that Mime Format Message. Why is this happening?

nicolafarina

What is "server.grupomacroseguridad.com"? Or better, is there an SMTP server on this machine?

uriel01

nicolafarina it's my server. And the SMTP server is configured and called the same.
I asked the server admin and told me that port 25 is unsecure, and we need to use 465, but with 'No Authentication' Option, I can't setup SMTP using that port.
If I select 'Same As Remote Mailbox', I got the error 'Configure Mailbox Authentication'.
If I want to choose 'Basic Authentication (Legacy)', I'm asked for a password of no-reply account, password I don't have.
I don't know how to set the secure port and make it works.