Trouble shooting

This page lists some of the common user problems and their resolution. If the problem is not listed on this page then please check the index for any relevant material. This document also has a search function.

If you have still been unable to find the answer then please visit the support forums or send an email to FTGate Support.

  1. UbeBlock is not blocking spam emails

  2. I have upgraded from FTGateOffice/Pro and my users cannot login

  3. A service will not start and reports “The specified address is already in use”

  4. SSL Certificates

  5. Unable to send to some domains

  6. Messages to Hotmail and other domains are disappearing

  7. Server EHLO message rejected with syntax error

  8. How do I move FTGate to another machine

  9. How do I backup FTGate

  10. My users are getting a relaying denied error

  11. I cant remember my WebAdmin user name or password, or I have deleted the admin account

  12. What firewall ports do I need to open

  13. How do I share folders

  14. SmartPop delivery issues

  15. “Bulk sends not allowed” error

  16. “Message size exceeds administrative limit” error
     


UbeBlock is not blocking the spam emails

At installation the UBEBlock processor is disabled. This is because the basic training of UBEBlock must be performed before it will work correctly and many users were not training it at all. To enable UBEBlock rating of the messages perform the initial UbeBlock Training and then enable the filtering in the filter policy options page.

I have just upgraded from FTGateOffice/Pro an my users cannot login

See: Logging Into FTGate (password errors)

A service will not start and reports “The specified address is already in use.”

This is usually seen in the SMTP , LDAP  or WebMail service but can be seen occasionally in the other services. It is caused by another program running and using those ports. To resolve the issue the running program must be located and stopped or the service moved to another port.

  • SMTP:
    The usual cause is the Microsoft Simple Mail Transport Service. To resolve this error open the windows service control panel, stop the service and set its startup mode to disabled.

  • WebMail:
    This is usually cause by IIS. If you are not using the PC as a web server then you should open the windows service control panel and then stop and disable the Web Publishing Service. Additional information is available here.

  • LDAP:
    This is usually a problem on Windows 2003 servers because the Active Directory service uses LDAP. In this case you must change the port used by the FTGate LDAP service and alter the mail clients to use the new port.

SSL certificates

See: SSL self signed certificates

I am unable to send to some domains, the mail sits in the outbox.

Many service providers will not accept mail from servers that have an invalid or incorrect hostname configured for the HELO/EHLO SMTP command (Outbox/Connection). Your hostname should be the name that will be resolved by a reverse lookup for your ip address, or at the very least a valid name used in a DNS which resolves to your IP.

For example :

EHLO mx0.ftgate.com

lookup mx0.ftgate.com = 195.224.16.225

lookup 195.224.16.225 = 225.128-255.16.224.195.in-addr.arpa = mx0.ftgate.com

So it resolves to the same address both ways. This is the correct way to have a host defined when sending out using MX records. If both paths are not there then some servers will reject.

To configure this you will have to contact your ISP/DNS hosting company.

My messages to Hotmail are disappearing

This is the same cause as 3 above, however, Hotmail simply delete the messages without notification to the server or recipient.

My server is having its EHLO command rejected with a syntax error message

Users of AVG anti-virus and Cisco PIX firewalls may have problems as these two products can be configured to modify the EHLO/HELO message. They replace the EHLO command with XXXX which causes the error. You must reconfigure these devices to allow the command through correctly.

How do I move FTGate to another machine

See: Moving to a new server

How do I backup FTGate

See: Backup and Restore

My users are getting a relaying denied error

See: Allowing users to relay through your server

I cant remember my WebAdmin user name or password

See: Lost administrator passwords

What firewall ports do I need to open?

See: Firewall ports

How do I share folders and keep the mail on the server.

In order to share mail folders you must reconfigure your client application to connect to FTGate using the IMAP protocol. The IMAP protocol stores the messages on the server with the client being used to read/create messages but not to remove them from the server. The protocol allows for multiple folders and access to shared folders. This also allows Outlook users to stop using PST files on the local PC and allows an administrator to centralise the backup of mail.

SmartPop delivery issues

If you are having problems with SmartPop deliveries please check the following before requesting support:

  1. SmartPop overview: SmartPop

  2. Reasons why problems may exist: SmartPop limitations

  3. Duplicate delivery of messages: SmartPop Duplicate Delivery

  4. General delivery problems: SmartPop delivery problems

When I try to send mail to an Outlook list I get a Bulk sends not allowed error

This is caused by the number of addresses in the messages header exceeding the limit set by the administrator. You can change this in the SMTP tab of the global security policy together with the settings for the maximum number of recipients for a message.

The bulk sends rejection relates specifically to the number of addresses appearing the in To, and CC lines of the message header.

If you get this message it is because the email address of everyone you are sending to is in the message header. Thus if you send to 35 people, every person who receives the message gets the email address of the other 34. If you are in the UK or Europe we would strongly recommend that you do not change this setting. Unless you have permission from each of them to distribute their details you will be breaking the UK/EU data protection act and could face a heavy fine. We would recommend moving the addresses into an FTGate mailing list, or contact list. These will send the message as a BCC so none of the recipients get the details of any of the others.

My users are getting the message ‘Message size exceeds administrative limit’

This limit is set in the security policy being used by the SMTP service in the SMTP tab (Services/SMTP Service/Security, click on the Edit Service Policy Settings link).