Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.108.2.32 -r1.108.2.33
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl	16 Jul 2024 17:11:03 -0000	1.108.2.32
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl	17 Jul 2024 13:53:51 -0000	1.108.2.33
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@
         ns_log notice "SMTP call <$cmd>"
 
         ns_log Debug "send cmd: $cmd"
-        if {[catch $cmd errorMsg]} {            
+        if {[catch $cmd errorMsg]} {
             ns_log Error "acs-mail-lite::smtp: error $errorMsg while executing\n$cmd"
             error $errorMsg
         }
@@ -1021,6 +1021,35 @@
         }
         return $domain
     }
+
+    ad_proc configured_p {} {
+
+        Determine, whether the outgoing SMTPHost is configured and
+        reachable.
+
+    } {
+        #
+        # We have currently no good way to check, whether the outgoing
+        # email server is fully configured and accepts our
+        # emails. Here we check only, whether we can connect to the
+        # configured server.
+        #
+        set success 0
+        set params [get_delivery_parameters]
+
+        try {
+            lassign [ns_sockopen -timeout 100ms [dict get $params SMTPHost] [dict get $params SMTPPort]] rid wid
+            set readCheck [ns_sockcheck $rid]
+            set writeCheck [ns_sockcheck $wid]
+            set success [expr {$readCheck && $writeCheck}]
+        } on error {errorMsg} {
+        } finally {
+            catch {close $rid}
+            catch {close $wid}
+        }
+
+        return $success
+    }
 }
 
 # Local variables:
Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/test/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/test/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.1.2.2 -r1.1.2.3
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/test/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl	16 Jul 2024 17:11:04 -0000	1.1.2.2
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-mail-lite/tcl/test/acs-mail-lite-procs.tcl	17 Jul 2024 13:53:51 -0000	1.1.2.3
@@ -60,15 +60,10 @@
 
             aa_section "Immediate sending"
             #
-            # We have currently no good way to check, whether the
-            # outgoing email server is configured properly. Therefore,
-            # we perform this test only, when the nssmptd module is
-            # loaded. In this case, we assume, it is configured.  When
-            # mail is not configured, the test might fail in
-            # unpredictable ways, which are not necessarily related to
-            # the code.
+            # We can only test an immediate send operation, when the
+            # SMTP server is configured and available.
             #
-            if {[info commands ns_smtpd] ne ""} {
+            if {[::acs_mail_lite::configured_p]} {
 
                 acs_mail_lite::send \
                     -to_addr $to_addr \
@@ -96,7 +91,7 @@
                     and party_id = :recipient_id
                 }]
             } else {
-                aa_log "Test skipped, since 'ns_smtpd' is not configured"
+                aa_log "Test skipped, since the SMTP host is apparently not configured"
             }
 
         } -teardown_code {