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Your LimeSurvey version: 5.3.9
Own server or LimeSurvey hosting: own server
Survey theme/template: n/a
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Hi,

I just installed Lime Survey in my home lab and I am struggling with setting up the email function.

My mail server is also self hosted in my home lab. I can only connect to it internally (via its local IP address). Therefore, its external LE SSL certificate doesn't check out. So when I try and send a mail, I get an error that Lime Survey can't connect to the mail server.

This is nothing new and in other programs I am running (i.a. nextcloud), this can be mitigated by disabling the checking of the mail server's certificate. In the Lime Survey SMTP settings, I have found not such option. I have tried editing the config.php and copied over the settings I use in nextcloud's config.php:
'mail_smtpstreamoptions' => 
  array (
    'ssl' => 
    array (
      'allow_self_signed' => true,
      'verify_peer' => false,
      'verify_peer_name' => false,
    ),
  ) 
But it seems that they are not accepted (as it does not make a difference).

Is there a way to disable the checking of the mail server's SSL certificate?

Thanks!

limewolf wrote:

My mail server is also self hosted in my home lab. I can only connect to it internally (via its local IP address). Therefore, its external LE SSL certificate doesn't check out. So when I try and send a mail, I get an error that Lime Survey can't connect to the mail server.
 

Why are you so sure the issue is a failed verfication of a cert?  What is the exact errormessage and what are the mail settings in LimeSurvey?
Use the SMTP debug mode to get more infos.

LimeSurvey uses the thirdparty library phpmailer for email stuff.
Troubleshooting phpmailer issues are discussed here:
github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/wiki/Troubleshooting
 

Well, it is the same behaviour I know from other programs I run. Unless I disable the verification, the connection to my mail server fails.

This is the from the log:

CLIENT -> SERVER: STARTTLS
SERVER -> CLIENT: 220 2.0.0 Ready to start TLS
SMTP Error: Could not connect to SMTP host.
CLIENT -> SERVER: QUIT

According to the PHP Mailer docs this may have to do with the certificate verification:

If there's a problem relating to the certificate, you will get an error like this:

Code:

Warning: stream_socket_enable_crypto(): SSL operation failed with code 1.
OpenSSL Error messages: error:14090086:SSL routines:SSL3_GET_SERVER_CERTIFICATE:certificate verify failed

You may not see this error; In implicit encryption mode (SMTPS) it may be hidden because there isn't a way for the channel to show messages - SMTP+STARTTLS is generally easier to debug because of this. In an SMTP transcript this will typically be shown as trying to send a 

Code:

STARTTLS

 command immediately followed by a 

Code:

QUIT

 command.

It all fits together.

But, of course, it is just a theory until I can prove it right or wrong by disabling the checking of the SSL certificate.

ChatGPT

Since @rehanseo send some chatGPT forum post.

gitlab.com/SondagesPro/coreAndTools/AllowSelfSignedSSLSmtp