Socket error 10060 when testing an alert

Question

I have filled in an SMTP server and I'm testing an alert, but whenever I click 'Test' in the alert setup, I get 'Socket error 10060'. What's wrong?

Solution

The 10060 error indicates a connection problem with the SMTP server. There are a number of possible reasons here, but these are the two most popular:

• Your SMTP server name or address as specified has an error.

  Make sure your SMTP server settings match what you have in your mail client. If you're using Outlook with an exchange server, make sure the server you specified is actually an SMTP server. Not all exchange servers are configured to allow access via SMTP.

• Your SMTP port is blocked.

  Many ISPs block port 25 now - since many viruses try to replicate via port 25 to an smtp server outside their network. If this is the case, your ISP has probably provided a SMTP server you can use. If you need to use an SMTP server ouside your ISP's network, you may need to see if that server is available on a different port (ie: 2525), or you might need to ask your ISP to disable the block for you. The easiest way to get around this, though, is to find out which SMTP server your ISP recommends and use their settings.

To check which SMTP server you have specified, go to Edit -> Options, Email Settings.

If you're trying to use GMail or other SSL/STARTTLS-only SMTP host, then check this article.