Outllook replacement (long)

[Patrick Miller]

Most of these issues do not seem to be server issues.

POP.... Receiving (i.e. getting your mail?) That is what POP is for. 
IMAP & POP may have sending hidden somewhere in there protocol, but SMTP 
is designed for sending. Not accessing POP from outside is the 
firewall/proxy issue. Your admins way of saying he is security conscious.

SMTP.... Many places just disable outside SMTP relay access try using 
your ISP's SMTP server. His way of dealing with spam security. This may 
not be a proxy issue try telneting to port 25. When you telnet double 
check the MX host you should be going to.

IMAP.... I don't know what this issue is. I wish more admins supported 
it since it is much better than POP. I can't say it is a proxy issue 
since you say it just does not work at all after connecting, but it is 
connecting? Try telnet on this one as well.

FTP.... Proxy issue? Perhaps it is not ftp, but upload & download via http.

As for security, some of the non-http things are probably more secure 
given all the scripts in IIS's http, but then he is using MS to begin 
with so there is no security mind really in him.

When you say everything is being squashed through port 80 that is when 
you try to connect to the outside world, and who knows what things 
(sites/protocals/speeds) are restricted.

Telneting will often tell you the versions and settings. Read the RFC's 
-- don't know if MS will tell you the settings.

Benjamin Fisher wrote:

>Well, they DO have the ability to speak pop3 and imap and smtp.  In a weird and stupid way, more 
than likely.  I can't really tell if it's the server or some sort of configuration error.  However, 
they're not talkin'.
>
>POP3 is out of the question (as well as anything besides HTTP, HTTPS, FTP - and FTP-in/FTP-down 
only.  and everything is stuffed through port 80).  It's disabled, because it's "too insecure", 
according to the admin.
>
>I can't really tell what the exact problem is, though.  IMAP settings for the receiving end don't 
work.  I can't tell what sort of authentication type it's using if IMAP is enabled/configured 
properly.  It certainly doesn't support anything currently in Evolution besides "Password".  If it 
supports anything.  The POP settings for receiving somehow works (the proxy is probably set up to 
not allow pop to the outside).
>
>On the sending side, SMTP works so long as it is on the local network.  Outside, it doesn't work.  
Something weird they're doing between the proxy and mail server, and possible what's happening on 
the outside of the proxy, probably is messing up the actual outgoing SMTP.  Or at least that was 
the half-baked answer I got from the admin.
>
>IMAP probably isn't set up right/in use.  Although the port is open, I know.  It must be one of 
100 that are.  And however they're handling IMAP.  Who knows.
>
>My best guess is that things are set up weirdly, the servers are just made crappy (what I've come 
to expect from MS), and/or the authentication type it's using via SMTP (and/or POP3,IMAP) isn't 
working right with their exchange server.
>
>I don't know much about Microsoft server software.  Or really any other MS stuff.  Because I don't 
use it, and never have really.  The admin. is an NT4 MCSE, however, that's pretty much what is in 
use across the board here: NT4 servers.  Very few, if anything, is on Win2K.  Except the lab I work 
at (my supervisor - and the computer science chairman - is a marketing/MS-brainwashee, so I'm not 
allowed to use anything but windows crap):  we use Win2K there for one domain, NT4 for another just 
so people can learn about both.  Who knows.
>
>Conclusion: Weird SMTP authentication type is in use on their end, or Evolution doesn't 
support/doesn't support well enough what they're using.  Therefore, SMTP works inside when 
authentication is turned off, but doesn't work on the outside.  IMAP isn't set up right, or if it 
is, Evolution doesn't support the auth. type needed.  POP3, again, works on the inside, like 
everything else, but it isn't allowed on the outside.
>
>Ben
>
>  
>
--
Patrick Miller