291796 - Use fallback SMTP servers if default server is inaccessible

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 167506

(Thunderbird :: General, enhancement)

Description

[Emil Heinze]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.7.7) Gecko/20050414 Firefox/1.0.3
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.7.7) Gecko/20050414 Firefox/1.0.3

I have a laptop and I use it in several different places with several different
SMTP servers. When using multiple SMTP servers, TB only tries the default server
which, naturally, doesn't always work. Instead, it should try the other servers.
If I select the appropriate server as default, it STILL doesn't work, only if I
delete the old default. I'd expect TB to try the default and, if that doesn't
work, go through the others.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Enter an SMTP server other than the accessible one and set it as default.
2. Enter the appropriate SMTP of the ISP, but don't set it as default.
3. Sending mail fails after time out. (Should try the other SMTP server(s))
4. Set the appropriate SMTP server as default.
5. TB still tries the old default SMPT server, and sending mail still fails
after time out. (Should at least start with the default SMTP server!)
6. Delete the old default SMTP, leaving only the correct, and add it again, but
not as default.
7. Sending mails work until you get to another ISP...

Actual Results:  
TB doesn't try alternative SMTP servers, but sticks to default.
Sending mail fails after time out.
TB sticks to old default even if another is selected.
Only after deleting old default is the new used.

Expected Results:  
Default means DEFAULT! The same goes with SMTP servers, and TB should know that.
If another is selected as default, TB should start with that. In that way, you
could use several SMTP servers on a laptop (which is nice :-), but it would be
even better, if TB actually tried the alternative SMTP-servers, and not only the
default.

Comment 1

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Did you change the SMTP server in account settings\Account\advanced ?

Comment 2

[David :Bienvenu]

no, this user thinks we should cycle through all the smpt servers until we find
one that works.

Comment 3

[Emil Heinze]

I suppose so. It was in Tools\Account Settings...\Outgoing
Server(SMTP)\Advanced. I tried both the "TB window" and the "Write mail window"
with the same result.
If it doesn't cycle through the SMTP's, why bother having more than one? And
changing the default SMTP doesn't mean TB actually changes the default until you
delete the old.

(In reply to comment #1)
> Did you change the SMTP server in account settings\Account\advanced ?
> 

Comment 4

[cls]

The point of having multiple SMTP servers is so that each of your multiple mail
accounts can have their own SMTP server if need be.  It would be very annoying,
not to mention a potential security risk to have TB try each mail server if the
one set on the account ever fails.  I definitely don't want my work mail going
through my ISP's mail server or my personal mail going through the work mail
server for that matter.

I'm using TB on a laptop as well and I haven't had a problem with using multiple
SMTP servers.  But I do use a fixed SMTP server for each mail account rather
than using the ISP's mail server so I never have to change them when I travel.

As far as changing the SMTP server associated with an account, I discovered that
I have to open a new composition window to get TB to acknowledge the change.

Comment 5

[Jesse Ruderman]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 167506 ***