This is a common problem. You need to tell the socket stack not re-use the socket, f.ex. by setting the socket idle timout on your session to a very low value (like 1 second).

This is what it looks like when coding C# in .NET

MailMessage msgMail = new MailMessage(); 
msgMail.To.Add("address"); 
msgMail.Body = "test"; 
SmtpClient Client = new SmtpClient(); /* uses settings from web.config */
Client.ServicePoint.MaxIdleTime = 1; /* without this the connection is idle too long */
Client.Send(msgMail); 
msgMail.Dispose();

Hi

 I have been setting up a web page, WWW and mail server using the Xampp package. So far I have been able to overcome all my inexperience with the help of guides and what not, but have walked in to something I dont find any answer to.

My one PHP script requires e-mail verification, and I use PHPmailer through Mercury for that. I set up Mercury to use my Gmail, and everything works just fine, except for a communication gap between Mercury and PHPmailer.

Warning: fsockopen() [function.fsockopen]:

unable to connect to :25 (A connection attempt failed because the

connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or

established connection failed because connected host has failed to

respond.

) in C:\Inetpub\PhP and Sql\xampp\htdocs\class.smtp.php on line 122

1. I changed the time-out in the PHPscript to 60 seconds even, but no luck.

2. The process completes successfully though, and I get my mail in Gmail without any problems.

 T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 Connection from 127.0.0.1
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 HELO danie
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 MAIL FROM:<postmaster@localhost>
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 RCPT TO:<7fatcowsinfo@gmail.com>
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 DATA
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 DATA - 29 lines, 661 bytes.
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 QUIT
T 20100130 024535 4b639d11 Connection closed with 127.0.0.1, 0 sec. elapsed.
 

Is there some setting in Mercury that I need to set in order for it to acknowledge to the script that the process was successful ? Or am I missing something else completely ? 

That MercS log is completely normal and completes normally [:)], in under one second.

I have no idea what your script may be waiting for.

Turn on session logging for MercS to get a complete transcript that may provide more clues.

As requested :

03:18:25.343: Connection from 127.0.0.1, Sat Jan 30 03:18:25 2010<lf>
03:18:25.343: << 220-SMTP ESMTP server ready.<cr><lf>220-220-somehost.somedomain.com Mercury/32 v3.21 ESMTP server ready.<cr><lf>220-220-Use of this server for unauthorised relaying of mail is forbidden.<cr><lf>220 220 Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ("spam") is NOT WELCOME HERE.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: >> HELO danie<cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: << 250 SMTP Hello, danie.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: >> MAIL FROM:<postmaster@localhost><cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: << 250 Sender OK - send RCPTs.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: >> RCPT TO:<7fatcowsinfo@gmail.com><cr><lf>
03:18:25.343: << 250 Recipient OK - send RCPT or DATA.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> DATA<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: << 354 OK, send data, end with CRLF.CRLF<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:18:25 +0200<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Subject: Login Details<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> To: 7fatcowsinfo@gmail.com<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> From: "Member Registration" <auto-reply@7fatcowsmobile.mooo.com><cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> X-Mailer: PHP/5.3.1<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Thank you for registering with us. Here are your login details...<lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> User ID: l<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Email: 7fatcowsinfo@gmail.com <lf>
03:18:25.359: >>  <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Passwd:  <lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Activation code: 3354 <lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> *****ACTIVATION LINK*****<lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> http://7fatcowsmobile.mooo.com/activate.php?user=32bb90e8976aab5298d5da10fe66f21d&activ_code=3354<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Thank You<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> Administrator<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> 7FATCOWSMOBILE.MOOO.COM<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> ______________________________________________________<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> THIS IS AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE. <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> ***DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL****<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> <cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> .<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: << 250 Data received OK.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: >> QUIT<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: << 221 SMTP Service closing channel.<cr><lf>
03:18:25.359: --- Connection closed normally at Sat Jan 30 03:18:25 2010. ---
03:18:25.359:
 

This is the section of the code referred to by the error message

    #connect to the smtp server
    $this->smtp_conn = fsockopen($host,    # the host of the server
                                 $port,    # the port to use
                                 $errno,   # error number if any
                                 $errstr,  # error message if any
                                 $tval);   # give up after ? secs  <-------- line 122
    # verify we connected properly
    if(empty($this->smtp_conn)) {
      $this->error = array("error" => "Failed to connect to server",
                           "errno" => $errno,
                           "errstr" => $errstr);
      if($this->do_debug >= 1) {
        echo "SMTP -> ERROR: " . $this->error["error"] .
                 ": $errstr ($errno)" . $this->CRLF;
      }
      return false;
    }
 

Again, perfectly normal.

From a Mercury perspective there is no problem.

Afraid I can't help with PHP.

Ok, thank you anyway. Will post when I get the solution.