Re: ISPs Blocking Port 25 To Curb Spam Hurts The Honest Guy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
Sigh... never mind. All the external SMTP servers I use require authentication, which means I'd have to also change userIDs and passwords.
I bet a bit of VBScripting would do the trick in reprogramming those... but that would be primarily desktop - not sure if you could do any such thing on the Pocket PC.
Why not use commercial SMTP servers? When using GPRS this problem is even more common and a few of our users came up with a list. The ones I think should be investigated are www.smtp.com and www.fastmail.fm. They both provide SMTP services for a few, which is great for road warriors. Have you ever tried sending e-mails from your Pocket PC while roaming in another country?
You're missing the point -- he already has authenticated SMTP servers accessible. The problem is, he couldn't use those SMTP servers at home, because the network is firewalling all outbound port 25 packets unless the endpoint is BellSouth's mail server. The idea is to shut off all unofficial relays, but it has a rather undesirable side effect. Either he switches SMTP servers all the time, or VPNs, neither of which is all that convenient.
No. Open port 25 relays are a security risk for everyone. Blocking use of port 25 to anything but your own mail servers is a good security practice. If you need universally available e-mail, web mail is by far more easy to do securely.
Easy to do securely, but far less convenient. Why should I have to log into my web mail server each time I want to send a message. It's much easier to use outlook to send these messages, especially since it has all my contacts and other information right at hand, and is always open and running on my home pc.
And I can surely see how the arguement could be made that if you are paying for unlimited internet access and the ISP limits it in this way part way thru your service agreement, they have not held up their end of the bargain, or at least materially changed the service in such a way as you should no longer be held to the original obligation.
Anyone notice that Ed's posts have been reduced to two categories: angry and saying bluetooth is dead?
Whats wrong with that ?
Bluetooth is dead
Why? Surely the answer is, when at home, to connect via Bluetooth to a mobile phone which connects (say, via GPRS) to your email service. :wink:
:lol: Cute, though not terribly practical or cheap.
On a related matter to get around post 25 blocking, does anyone know of a web email provider that works over HTTP, is usable through Outlook (or OE) and is NOT Hotmail or MSN?
Re: ISPs Blocking Port 25 To Curb Spam Hurts The Honest Guy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
Sigh... never mind. All the external SMTP servers I use require authentication, which means I'd have to also change userIDs and passwords.
:bad-words:
:?
I have another solution, get an account with www.netidentity.com, they have SMTP server over port 80. If your ISP block this port too, you'll know it's time to shop arround :mrgreen:
An account with them cost 25$/yr for simple pop3. It required authantification on port 25, but I'm not sure on port 80... I can test that if you want.
On a related matter to get around post 25 blocking, does anyone know of a web email provider that works over HTTP, is usable through Outlook (or OE) and is NOT Hotmail or MSN?
Actually yes... especially since you're also in the UK. Use the one that I use. http://www.gradwell.com does exactly that (although I buy the nice developer account which allows me a play area for my Web "experiments". I believe that they also provide an email only service to a reseller called http://www.shiremail.com which charge a mere £3.50 a month - I don't know if you get reduced functionality through this reseller.
Both IMAP and POP3 are supported both with and without SSL. I use the WebMail service from work (via an HTTP proxy), via Outlook from home, via WebIS Mail from the iPaq and via Mozilla Thunderbird from my partner's Apple Mac.
Gradwell also support SMTP relay and have a secondary port which isn't port 25 which should help get around most ISP restrictions.
Basically, it does cost more than some services (especially the free ones :wink but it does offer a fantastic flexible service. I also use it to manage mailing lists as it supports EZMLM. If you find something it doesn't do, drop Peter Gradwell an email and he's always ready to find a way round the problem.
Sorry if that sounds like an advert, but I'm really happy with the service I get.
While I'm not nearly as savvy as the rest of you posting in this thread, I think this explains something that's had me scratching my head for the past couple of weeks. The address I use for all of my web mail is through Big Planet because they have a built-in spam filter through Postini. I was getting 200+ emails a day in the spam filter (okay with me because they didn't make it to my Inbox in Outlook). For a couple of days a couple of weeks ago I couldn't email out via Outlook with that address. It just wouldn't connect to the SMTP host. Since they were personal emails and not public ones, I just used my private Verizon DSL account and didn't give it another thought. However, I noticed after that that the number of emails caught in my Big Planet spam filter decreased dramatically....down to 20-25 a day from 200+. So it seems Big Planet might have done something like this, only they must have moved it to another port?? I'm not knowledgeable enough to know, and as long as my email works don't really care. But now I'm not scratching my head anymore. Thanks. :wink:
No. Open port 25 relays are a security risk for everyone. Blocking use of port 25 to anything but your own mail servers is a good security practice. If you need universally available e-mail, web mail is by far more easy to do securely.
I disagree. Blocking port 25 isn't a security risk, it's a band-aid solution. I still think a better solution is to require at least some level of authentication to the SMTP server. I require authentication to my SMTP server, and as a result any user of mine anywhere can access it to send mail without having to mess around.
Blocking port 25 may be good security practice on your own private network for personal or corporate reasons, but when you are providing a *public* service you have a responsibility to provide full service, not a crippled one....
Re: ISPs Blocking Port 25 To Curb Spam Hurts The Honest Guy
Either he switches SMTP servers all the time, or VPNs, neither of which is all that convenient.
but it does offer a fantastic flexible service. I also use it to manage mailing lists as it supports EZMLM. If you find something it doesn't do, drop Peter Gradwell an email and he's always ready to find a way round the problem.
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