PHP Mail vs PHPMailer settings from webapp admin panel ?

/// TEST ENVIRONMENT ///
Hosting provider : OVH
Machine : remote VPS 2vCore
OS distro : Ubuntu 18.04 (bionic beaver)
User : root with sudo permissions
Web server : apache 2.4
Cpanel : ISPConfig 3.2.2

Hi,

just installed a new webapp that requires settings (from admin panel) to automatically send :

• verification e-mail to users creating accounts
• email notification to admin when users publishes content
• email notification to users receiving comments

In purpose to test both available PHP Mail and PHPMailer setting options, I have been creating new accounts (email, password and captcha) with different email addresses, but email sending failed as resumed below, despite I verified the my DNS servers are pointing to my VPS IP address.

Relating my help request, I also need developers’s word upon this informations found after surfing the web a whole day :

• if the webapp is not designed to receive email, but only to send plain text email, so PHP Mail (default) is sufficient !
• choosing PHPMailer instead of PHP Mail requires some SPF, DKIM, DMARC further settings (and propagation time) to avoid sent emails being blocked or spamed !
• It seems that my hosting provider (OVH) never did, and still not handle DKIM settings in DNS zones for MX plan subscribers….

TWO FAILURE CASES DESCRIPTION & QUESTIONS (ISPConfig)

*** With PHP Mail ***
Mailer : PHP Mail (default)
SMTP Host : localhost
SMTP Port : 25
SMTP Usename : [email protected]
SMTP Password : my password
From Email : [email protected]
SMTP Authentication [0 or 1] : 1
***************************
Results for email verification message delivery
• [email protected] (delivered)
• [email protected] (failed)
• [email protected] (failed)
• [email protected] (failed)
• [email protected] (failed)
***************************
Did I miss something ?

*** With PHPMailer ***
Mailer : PHPMailer
SMTP Host : localhost
SMTP Port : 465 / 587 (I tried with both)
SMTP Usename : [email protected]
SMTP Password : my password
From Email : [email protected]
SMTP Authentication [0 or 1] : 1
***************************
Results for email verification message delivery : failed for all email adresses listed above
***************************
Does ISPConfig installation with PHP7 include PHPMailer ?
Does PHPMailer require some extra settings, or an update to fit my use case ?

These are questions to be related with what you think is the easiest, or better fit such this webapp usage :
Can you please give a roadmap for further tests with PHP Mail (I heard about postfix, sendmail…) ?
If ISPConfig can generate DKIM keys for PHPMailer, do I have to copy/paste these keys data in related DNS zone on side of my hosting provider ?

Regards,

 

Meaning that ISPConfig installation does not include PHPMailer....

OVH, my actual hosting and email provider (MX plan) does not handle DKIM key publishing : none field in DNS zone with dedicated label, despite customers are claiming for it since 2017…. !

Would you then recommend me to transfer my domain name and email to another hosting service (e.g INFOMANIAK, or any of those you may suggest) ?

If a DKIM key is set for sender's email address; e.g. “[email protected]“, does this supposedly insure that mail delivery (to new account creators) should work, whatever the email server (SMTP Host) I prefer to set for PHPMailer ?

Regards

 

Hi,

This is what was said on some forums, but after verification, my hosting provider does allow it.

It might be helpfull is to have ones’s opinions upon this complete step by step tutorial I found (link below), that matches the choice of PHP Mail over PHPMailer, and in which “Postal“ is preferred to “Postfix“ or “Sendmail“ to set a mail server on my VPS. Postal comes with a UI that makes it easier to test the deliverability of sent email... :

/// TUTORIAL ///
https://h-educate.com/free-smtp-server-postal/

That said, I also have two questions, and your reply to these may help me (and maybe others) to proceed what is necessary with process resilience in mind :

/// Q1 ///
Unless I’ve misunderstood, conflicts or bugs may be avoided if other sending mail services (Postfix, Sendmail…) are deactivated. If right, what would you recommend to get this task done properly (rolling back remaining possible) ?

/// Q2 ///
How can I verify that message to end-user is signed (DKIM signature) when emailed from script running on my VPS ?

Regards

 

Hi,
I finaly changed my mind and am asking my newbie questions upon Postfix in this other thread :
https://www.howtoforge.com/communit...tfix-is-howtoforge-tutorial-up-to-date.86858/

 

Does the domain entry for DKIM key have to match FQDN, or can it be a sub-domain name if the script to send notification emails is installed under path matching a sub-domain ?

Regards

 

DKIM is created for an e-mail domain. Have you creted DKIM previously? DKIM key is created in ISPConfig in E-Mail tab, Domain, button "Domainkeys identified mail (DKIM)".
You can create DKIM for every e-mail domain you have.
If by FQDN you mean the hostname.domain.tld of the server, you can create e-mail domain domain.tld and then DKIM for that.

 

Key is now generated for email domain, but generated DNS record is not valid (new thread) :
https://www.howtoforge.com/community/threads/dkim-key-1024-char-long-not-valid.86861/