1322662 - For each SMTP server I'd like to be able to specify the address given to the SMTP-MAIL-FROM-command (the envelope sender)

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Thunderbird :: Account Manager, defect)

Description

[Helmut Waitzmann]

Attachment: log file: Sending email fails when supplying the address from the "From:" header line as the Parameter to the SMTP "MAIL FROM:" command

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.1.16) Gecko/20121207 Iceweasel/3.5.16 (like Firefox/3.5.16)
Build ID: 20121207230533

Steps to reproduce:

Start composing an email to <[e-mail]>, using the
message submission account <[e-mail]>:

	    Description: SMTP at [e-mail]
	    Server Name: smtp.my-domain.example
		   Port: 587
	      User Name: [e-mail]
  Secure Authentication: No
    Connection Security: STARTTLS

Select the alternate identity <[e-mail]> using the
same message submission account

	    Description: SMTP at [e-mail]
	    Server Name: smtp.my-domain.example
		   Port: 587
	      User Name: [e-mail]
  Secure Authentication: No
    Connection Security: STARTTLS

to be used as the "From:" address.

Then send the message.



Actual results:

Thunderbird uses the alternate identity not only as "From:" header
line but also as the envelope sender.  Sending the email fails.  For
the SMTP log, see the attachment.



Expected results:

I would like to be able to specify in the Outgoing Server Settings not
only the SMTP server

	    Description: SMTP at [e-mail]
	    Server Name: smtp.my-domain.example
		   Port: 587
	      User Name: [e-mail]
  Secure Authentication: No
    Connection Security: STARTTLS

but also the envelope sender

  <[e-mail]>

to be used in the SMTP "MAIL FROM:" command, rather than the contents
of the "From:" header line.

Using <[e-mail]>, sending the mail will succeed (as can be
confirmed using a different user agent which allows to specify the envelope sender).

(Maybe the SMTP server will insert a "Sender:  <[e-mail]>"
header line into the message, but that's beyond Thunderbird's
responsibility.)

Comment 1

[Helmut Waitzmann]

Same behavior with Thunderbird 38 Branch on Windows 10.

Comment 2

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

You filed this bug for version 3? We're at 45.x. TB 38 is not supported any more.

That said, the problem most likely persists. Also see bug 1294027.

Comment 3

[Helmut Waitzmann]

So, it's a very long persisting bug.  Bug 1294027 is more a complement
of this bug rather than the same, I think:

If I understand correctly, there a 3 user identifiers, when sending
mail via the message submission protocol:

(1) The user id to log into the SMTP server.

    This is, what Thunderbird's "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" are.

(2) The "MAIL FROM:" address (a.k.a. envelope sender or "Return-Path:"
    message header line).

    Strict configured SMTP servers may copy this address into the
    message's "Sender:"  header line, if it differs from (3), to
    conform to <https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5322#section-3.6.2>.
    Thunderbird as far as I know lacks a setting for to specify this
    address but uses (3).  This is, what this bug report is about.

(3) The message's "From:" header line.

    This is, what Thunderbird allows to be set via the additional
    identities and the drop-down selection of the "From:" header line.

So, bug 1294027 requests Thunderbird not to tie (2) to (1), whereas
this bug requests Thunderbird not to tie (2) to (3).

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(It's really best to not report bugs with unsupported versions)