cPanel / WHM

cPanel/WHM Smarthost Configuration

Authenticated smarthost setup with Exim Configuration Manager

What does this guide do?

Ensures all emails sent from your cPanel/WHM server are delivered through the MXGate smarthost (with authentication). This puts your outbound emails under MXGate protection.

Prerequisites

WHM root access
SMTP username and password created from MXGate panel
cPanel version 92+ (Exim 4.94+ recommended)

1 Access Exim Configuration Manager in WHM

# WHM Yolu:

Home > Service Configuration > Exim Configuration Manager

2 Switch to Advanced Editor Tab

On the opened page, click Advanced Editor tab from the top menu. You can directly edit the Exim configuration file in this section.

Important: Use the "Backup" button to backup current settings before starting configuration.

3 Section: ROUTERCONFIG - Smarthost Router

Add the following configuration in the ROUTERCONFIG section. This ensures all outgoing mail goes through MXGate:

# MXGate Smarthost Router

smarthost_router:

driver = manualroute

domains = ! +local_domains

transport = mxgate_smtp

route_list = * smtp.mxgate.com.tr::587

no_more

4 Section: TRANSPORTCONFIG - Transport Configuration

Add the transport definition containing SMTP authentication settings in the TRANSPORTCONFIG section:

# MXGate SMTP Transport with Authentication

mxgate_smtp:

driver = smtp

hosts = smtp.mxgate.com.tr

port = 587

hosts_require_auth = smtp.mxgate.com.tr

hosts_require_tls = smtp.mxgate.com.tr

Port 587 is used with TLS encryption. All credentials are transmitted encrypted.

5 Section: AUTH - SMTP Authentication

Add MXGate SMTP authentication settings in the AUTH section. Use the username and password obtained from the MXGate panel:

# MXGate SMTP Authentication

smarthost_login:

driver = plaintext

public_name = LOGIN

client_send = : MXGATE_KULLANICI_ADI : MXGATE_SIFRE

Security: Replace MXGATE_USERNAME and MXGATE_PASSWORD with actual credentials from MXGate panel.

Format: client_send = : username : password - Note it must start with a colon (:).

6 Save Configuration and Restart Exim

After making all changes, click the Save button at the bottom of the page. WHM will automatically validate and restart the Exim configuration.

# SSH üzerinden Exim yapılandırmasını test edin:

exim -bV

# Syntax hatası olup olmadığını kontrol edin:

exim -C /etc/exim.conf -bV

# Exim servisini yeniden başlatın (gerekirse):

/scripts/restartsrv_exim

7 Testing and Verification

Test if the configuration is working. Send an email and check the Exim logs:

# E-posta kuyruğunu kontrol edin:

exim -bp

# Exim loglarını izleyin:

tail -f /var/log/exim_mainlog

# Başarılı bağlantı görmelisiniz:

"smtp.mxgate.com.tr [IP]:587 connected"

"=> kullanici@domain.com R=smarthost_router"

# SMTP kimlik doğrulama testi:

exim -d -Mvl <message-id>

Success! All your outgoing emails are now delivered encrypted and authenticated through MXGate.

Troubleshooting

535 Error:

Check your authentication credentials. Make sure the username and password are correct in the MXGate panel. Ensure colons (:) are correctly placed in AUTH section.

Connection refused:

Check firewall settings. Ensure outbound access to port 587 is allowed.

TLS required:

Ensure hosts_require_tls is in the transport section, or remove the TLS requirement.

Router not found:

Ensure smarthost_router definition is added to ROUTERCONFIG section. Check for indentation errors.

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