#29629 [NEW]: mail() on unix is unable to use external SMTP server

From: mymaillists at gmx dot at Operating system: all unixes PHP version: Irrelevant PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Bug description: mail() on unix is unable to use external SMTP server Description: ------------ Not really a bug but a serious design error. We use php 4.3.8 (tried 5.0 too) on Unixes (AIX, Solaris, Linux) and need to move the apache server onto a machine that will run only apache and php, and that into a chrooted jail for security reasons. We have numerous php scripts that use the mail() function and have discovered that on Unixes, php will only use a locally installed MTA that is directly callable (sendmail, qmail, ...), and that PHP on unix is hard coded so that it can not use an external SMTP server. Changing the configuration in the php.ini file achieves nothing. PHP on windows however is able to use an external SMTP server. It should be possible to configure PHP on unix systems so that it can use an external SMTP server and not need a locally installed MTA such as sendmail. It would also be useful if PHP supported authentication when connecting to an external SMTP server. These changes would enable significant improvements in the security of systems on which apache/php run. Reproduce code: --------------- no code necessary Expected result: ---------------- -- Edit bug report at http://bugs.php.net/?id=29629&edit=1 -- Try a CVS snapshot (php4): http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=trysnapshot4 Try a CVS snapshot (php5): http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=trysnapshot5 Fixed in CVS: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=fixedcvs Fixed in release: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=alreadyfixed Need backtrace: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=needtrace Need Reproduce Script: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=needscript Try newer version: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=oldversion Not developer issue: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=support Expected behavior: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=notwrong Not enough info: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=notenoughinfo Submitted twice: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=submittedtwice register_globals: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=globals PHP 3 support discontinued: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=php3 Daylight Savings: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=dst IIS Stability: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=isapi Install GNU Sed: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=gnused Floating point limitations: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=29629&r=float