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How to set up Thunderbird to connect to MY private mail server?

Ramon F Herrera
Ramon F Herrera

Hello all:

A few years ago I rented a VPS. It is my center of operations and have been using Thunderbird (the greatest e-mail client ever created, with ONE exception).

At the time my only option (provided here) was to start with the account 'test@gmail.com', and then modify some things. I wasn't a happy camper but I obediently did all that.

The problem is that the GMail dependency is still somewhere in the guts of my configuration. Once in a while I get: "Cannot connect to xyz.gmail.com" (do not recall the 'xyz" part). The problem goes away by itself.

At the time I am NOT trying to send anything to gmail, I am simply logging into my IMAP account.

I am upgrading to a new mail server, PLEASE tell me the news that I will not have to use that strange, unusual, circuitous approach?

I shudder to think that I will have to go through all that with my cool new VPS and therefore have migrated everything EXCEPT the e-mail.

I am running very usual applications: CentOS 7, Apache, Dovecot. Windows 10 on the client.

TIA,

-Ramon F. Herrera JFK Numbers

Hello all: A few years ago I rented a VPS. It is my center of operations and have been using Thunderbird (the greatest e-mail client ever created, with ONE exception). At the time my only option (provided here) was to start with the account 'test@gmail.com', and then modify some things. I wasn't a happy camper but I obediently did all that. The problem is that the GMail dependency is still somewhere in the guts of my configuration. Once in a while I get: "Cannot connect to xyz.gmail.com" (do not recall the 'xyz" part). The problem goes away by itself. At the time I am NOT trying to send anything to gmail, I am simply logging into my IMAP account. I am upgrading to a new mail server, PLEASE tell me the news that I will not have to use that strange, unusual, circuitous approach? I shudder to think that I will have to go through all that with my cool new VPS and therefore have migrated everything EXCEPT the e-mail. I am running very usual applications: CentOS 7, Apache, Dovecot. Windows 10 on the client. TIA, -Ramon F. Herrera '''JFK Numbers'''

Chosen solution

Thank you so much, Matt!

My problem is solved. It was caused by some time, ages ago when I had to use the address 'test@gmail.com' and then replace it. I guess that was a temporary strategy.

Now I simply go into "manual config", type my server parameters and things work as expected.

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All Replies (2)

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor

I assume you are referring to this topic https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1146439

But that does not explain how gmail comes into anything. So what does gmail have to do with your email addresses? If would be particularly helpful if you could actually name the server instead of xyz.gmail.com. It is about impossible to guess what your issue is and t5here is simply no enough information to do more than guess at this point.

My guess is the mail at some point is coming from a gmail IMAP server and is in fact not downloaded locally, so selecting it reaches out to download the mail from gmail.

Ramon F Herrera
Ramon F Herrera Question owner

Chosen Solution

Thank you so much, Matt!

My problem is solved. It was caused by some time, ages ago when I had to use the address 'test@gmail.com' and then replace it. I guess that was a temporary strategy.

Now I simply go into "manual config", type my server parameters and things work as expected.