Title: smtp email problems Last modified: August 21, 2016 --- # smtp email problems * Resolved [Ovidiu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovidiu/) * (@ovidiu) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/) * I’m not sure if this is related to the WP 3.9 upgrade so I thought I’d ask since this only happens on the only site I upgraded to 3.9 * This morning I realized it was broken. Not sure hat changed, all I remember are a few mysql updates and openssl updates… Running on a Debian 7 server. * All was working fine for months, now realized it doesn’t. Trying to figure out what happend… * If I send via SMTP as usual, through amazon SES, I get this in the logs: * ``` 2014-04-19 12:53:10 000000 -- SWIFTMAILER [ERROR] - There was a problem sending with SMTP : Connection could not be established with host email-smtp.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com [php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known #0] ``` * I’ve googled that error and cannot figure it out. * ``` ping email-smtp.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com ping: unknown host email-smtp.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com ``` * but telnet email-smtp.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com 587 works. Any ideas what could be wrong here? Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) * [druppel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/druppel/) * (@druppel) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827383) * I’ve been sending through the WP SMTP plug in successfully until 3.9, but I was told on this forum by another user that he had an upgraded 3.9 install with a fresh install of the plug-in and it worked. * The built in mail() functionality is an alternative that works for me, but that is my hosting provider who set everything up OK… * Contact form 7 (with file upload) is the plug-in I use for the messaging part, and it just works without any smtp plug in. * I just needed to white-list the sending email address from my web-host in Google Apps (Admin console>Google Apps>Settings for Gmail>Advanced Settings) under Spam. * Some thing seem to have changed in 3.9 regarding mail(), breaking all smtp plug- ins, but luckily it is now all built in, and the dependency has shifted from the smtp data you put in toward the configuration of your host. Well, for me anyway 🙂 * [thorkildhoue](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thorkildhoue/) * (@thorkildhoue) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827386) * Right. It could have some thing to do with 3.9. I have been using Contact form 7 and Participants database on the domains. Up to now without any problems! And that without having installed any smtp-plugin! * Now it does not work for 2 of the 3 domains. (All of them are 3.9 though nothing have been edited in the one working. * For the one still working the sender is [http://www.mydomain.nu@linux35.unoeuro.com](http://www.mydomain.nu@linux35.unoeuro.com)– it has probably always been so! * For let us say 1 year ago: Did wordpress at that time have a built in setup for smtp? I don’t remember. * Please could anyone give me a hint? * I can’t find in our spam systems log or in unwanted mail that the mail have been caught. * Regards Thorkild Houe * Thread Starter [Ovidiu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovidiu/) * (@ovidiu) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827388) * Well, the php_mail() function works just fine for me I only need SMTP for a high- volume newsletter that is being sent through Amazon SES. * I just seem to have find a workaround for my own problem: * it seems the nameserver specified by my ISP isn’t resolving the Amazon SES SMTP server. I updated my /etc/resolv.conf with Google’s public DNS and it works. * Just a workaround, need to talk to my ISP to understand what their problem is… * > Some thing seem to have changed in 3.9 regarding mail(), breaking all smtp > plug-ins, but luckily it is now all built in, and the dependency has shifted > from the smtp data you put in toward the configuration of your host. Well, > for me anyway 🙂 * Where did you read that? I’d be really interested in reading more if SMTP stuff is really built into WP? All I know is that I can supply SMTP info via functions. php… * [druppel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/druppel/) * (@druppel) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827389) * I didn’t read it anywhere, maybe it’s just my changing perception and this solution always worked. That seems to be more plausible, since WordPress always depended on mail(), which is built into PHP, as far as I know. * [Mike Hampton](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wickedmike/) * (@wickedmike) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827499) * I use Fast Secure Contact Form which is now not working after the WordPress update. I switched to Contact Form 7 which also doesn’t work. I can email myself directly( without a form) but that is not appropriate for my clients. * [thorkildhoue](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thorkildhoue/) * (@thorkildhoue) * [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827505) * I am still very frustrated and disappointed. My client depends a lot on reliable signins. Of about 20 signups 15 had the e-mail only! * I have corresponded a lot with the developer of the plugin. The developer has done a great work to determine the cause, has access to my site, seeing errorlogs ect.. He is finding no errors in his plugin. It sounds true as other plugins sending mail are having the same problem. As already stated and other also have found it started with WP3.9. * My host says nothing is wrong with their servers. * Please who have sufficient knowledge to prove what is wrong and putting through that the error is corrected? * Urgently. Please take this serious. Regards Thorkild Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) The topic ‘smtp email problems’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [amazon](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/amazon/) * [SES](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/ses/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 6 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [thorkildhoue](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thorkildhoue/) * Last activity: [12 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/smtp-email-problems/#post-4827505) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics