I have installed Apache and PHP5 on my debian server.

Firstly I tried it using sendmail. Here is the step by step procedure that I have tried :

Step 1: apt-get install sendmail
Step 2: /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

But this didn't work.

Then I tried using external SMTP . My domain is registered on BigRock.I registerd an email address there [email protected] and it gave me the required credentials.

On server I installed sSMTP

> apt-get install ssmtp
> Configured "/etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf" file.

In the configuration file I added

[email protected]
mailhub=smtp.fostergen.com:587 (Here I have doubt. I am not sure what to use here. I tried smtp.fostergen.com:587, smtp.fostergen.com:25,mx1.mailhostbox.com :587,mx1.mailhostbox.com:25.

I am still not sure what to use here mailhostbox.com. I used mx1.mailhostbox.com as it was the mx entry for my domain on bigrock Here is the screenshot![screenshot of bigrock's email management tool] )

hostname=vs3204.ams2.alvotec.de (I entered the command hostname -f on my server and got it as result )

FromLineOverride=YES    
UseSTARTTLS=YES    
[email protected]    
AuthPass=password provided during email registration on bigrock

> edited /etc/ssmtp/revaliases 
(added " root:[email protected]:mx1.mailhostbox.com :587 " in the last line)
> edited php.ini file (sendmail_path = /usr/sbin/ssmtp -t)
> /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

But this didn't work.

After this I tried eSMTP. Steps Performed :

> apt-get install esmtp
> edited /etc/esmtprc
    hostname=smtp.fostergen.com:587
   username= [email protected]
   password: password provide by bigrock
    mda="/usr/bin/procmail -d %T"
> linked eSMTP to the legacy Sendmail path by execting the command "ln -s /usr/bin/esmtp /usr/bin/sendmail" 
> edited php.ini file (/usr/bin/sendmail -t -i)
> /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

But this technique also failed.

I just want to send email to users through php mail function. Kindly help. Where I am going wrong?