Messaging Server 4: WebMail login returns "unable to locate the server"

Question

When I log into WebMail, the following error occurs:<BR>
<P>
Netscape is unable to locate the server <I>hostname</I>.
Please check the server name and try again.
<P>
<B>End User</B>
<P>
First verify that you cannot reach the hostname
server by using the ping
utility (Windows NT or Unix). If
you cannot reach the host, report this problem to the appropriate system
administrator or help desk.
<P>
However, if you can reach the host with ping
, then the problem may be a minor
networking issue that you can resolve. There is also the possibility that
the network has been configured to allow users to ping
unreachable systems. You can use the
following actions to rule out possible sources of the problem:<BR>
<P>
<OL>
<LI>Attempt to log in to WebMail again. If you can log in successfully, then
the problem with the WebMail server may have been temporary or is an
intermittent problem.
<P>
<LI>End the current browser session and then restart the browser and try to
connect to the WebMail server again. If you can log in successfully, then,
most likely, the browser had cached some old network information that was
reset when you exited the browser.
<P>
<LI>Verify the DNS configuration of your system and then restart the entire
system.
</OL>
<P>
If the above actions do not work, then you will need to contact the
system administrator or the help desk.
<P>
<B>Mail Server Administrators</B>
<P>
As the problem with connecting to the WebMail server is caused by configuration
or availability problems, make sure that users who report this problem have
HTTP network connectivity to the hostname. The following scenarios are
possible causes of connectivity problems:<BR>
<P>
<UL>
<LI>Users have the wrong proxy.
<LI>Users are being blocked by firewalls.
<LI>Users are connecting from the wrong network.
<LI>Users specify the incorrect DNS servers.
</UL>
<P>
In addition, users may also report that the server is down. As the login page
for WebMail does not contain URL links that are FQDNs or absolute path names,
it is possible that users may still be able to see the login window if it was
cached or loaded before the server stopped working.
<P>
In some cases, it may be necessary to access the hostname that is used in the
WebMail links. This hostname setting is stored in the configdb
parameter
service.smtp.messagehostname.
This configuration setting is not mentioned in the Messaging Server
documentation.
<P>
The messagehostname is a
configuration value that affects many server functions. For this reason, do
not make changes to this value without first considering the effects of such a
change on other WebMail settings, such as the postmaster group and user
mailhost values. Also, please note that changing messagehostname
is not supported from Console.
<P>
For more information on messagehostname
, please see "What is messagehostname?"
at<BR>
article 4250
<P>
You can also find documentation for configutil
in the Messaging Server Administrator's
Guide at the following URL:<BR>
<P>
http://docs.iplanet.com/docs/manuals/messaging/nms41/ag/cmdline.htm#1003887
<P>
<B>Note:</B> You must stop and restart the HTTP service in order for changes to
the messagehostname to
take effect.

Answer 1

When I log into WebMail, the following error occurs:<BR>
<P>
Netscape is unable to locate the server <I>hostname</I>.
Please check the server name and try again.
<P>
<B>End User</B>
<P>
First verify that you cannot reach the hostname
server by using the ping
utility (Windows NT or Unix). If
you cannot reach the host, report this problem to the appropriate system
administrator or help desk.
<P>
However, if you can reach the host with ping
, then the problem may be a minor
networking issue that you can resolve. There is also the possibility that
the network has been configured to allow users to ping
unreachable systems. You can use the
following actions to rule out possible sources of the problem:<BR>
<P>
<OL>
<LI>Attempt to log in to WebMail again. If you can log in successfully, then
the problem with the WebMail server may have been temporary or is an
intermittent problem.
<P>
<LI>End the current browser session and then restart the browser and try to
connect to the WebMail server again. If you can log in successfully, then,
most likely, the browser had cached some old network information that was
reset when you exited the browser.
<P>
<LI>Verify the DNS configuration of your system and then restart the entire
system.
</OL>
<P>
If the above actions do not work, then you will need to contact the
system administrator or the help desk.
<P>
<B>Mail Server Administrators</B>
<P>
As the problem with connecting to the WebMail server is caused by configuration
or availability problems, make sure that users who report this problem have
HTTP network connectivity to the hostname. The following scenarios are
possible causes of connectivity problems:<BR>
<P>
<UL>
<LI>Users have the wrong proxy.
<LI>Users are being blocked by firewalls.
<LI>Users are connecting from the wrong network.
<LI>Users specify the incorrect DNS servers.
</UL>
<P>
In addition, users may also report that the server is down. As the login page
for WebMail does not contain URL links that are FQDNs or absolute path names,
it is possible that users may still be able to see the login window if it was
cached or loaded before the server stopped working.
<P>
In some cases, it may be necessary to access the hostname that is used in the
WebMail links. This hostname setting is stored in the configdb
parameter
service.smtp.messagehostname.
This configuration setting is not mentioned in the Messaging Server
documentation.
<P>
The messagehostname is a
configuration value that affects many server functions. For this reason, do
not make changes to this value without first considering the effects of such a
change on other WebMail settings, such as the postmaster group and user
mailhost values. Also, please note that changing messagehostname
is not supported from Console.
<P>
For more information on messagehostname
, please see "What is messagehostname?"
at<BR>
article 4250
<P>
You can also find documentation for configutil
in the Messaging Server Administrator's
Guide at the following URL:<BR>
<P>
http://docs.iplanet.com/docs/manuals/messaging/nms41/ag/cmdline.htm#1003887
<P>
<B>Note:</B> You must stop and restart the HTTP service in order for changes to
the messagehostname to
take effect.