GNU/Linux Desktop Survival Guide by Graham Williams
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SMTP Direct

You can talk directly to an SMTP server, for example to test that it actually works for you. Here's a sample interaction. The commands don't need to be uppercase -- they are here just to make the commands obvious.

$ telnet mailhost.act.togaware.com 25
Trying 105.83.2.11... 
Connected to mailhost.act.togaware.com. 
Escape character is '^]'. 
220 mailhost.act.togaware.com ESMTP Postfix
helo modern.act.togaware.com
250 mailhost.act.togaware.com
mail from: kayon.toga@togaware.com
250 Ok
RCPT TO: graham@togaware.com
250 Ok
DATA
354 End data with <CR><LF>.<CR><LF>
Subject: Testing manually through telnet to mailhost
 
This is the body
. 
250 Ok: queued as 42DDE139919
QUIT
221 Bye
Connection closed by foreign host.

The EHLO localhost command will list the capabilities of the server.