On 2007-05-23 11:41, Kevin McGregor wrote:
Well... yeah. Note that you can still do outbound SMTP if the destination SMTP server supports SSL/STARTTLS, such as smtp.gmail.com does: Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server - requires TLS: smtp.gmail.com (use authentication) Use Authentication: Yes Use STARTTLS: Yes (some clients call this SSL) Port: 465 or 587
Actually, there is a difference between TLS (or STARTTLS) and SSL. With SSL, encryption is enabled (or at least negotiated) right from the initial connection. An alternative port number is typically used for this reason. With TLS, the connection starts off in plain text, and encryption is (optionally) negotiated later, provided both sides support it. An alternative port number is usually not necessary for this.
Of course, if the whole point is to get around blocking of port 25, then an alternative port will be required, whether TLS or SSL is used.
So, it's not ideal as this won't be a solution which can be used by everyone affected, but at least it's something.
The problem with this is there isn't a clear standard for alternative ports for SMTP. So, you need to find out if your particular mail service supports it, and if so, on what port (and with what encryption options). Of course, if a standard (even de facto) were to emerge, it might just shift the spam problem to the other port, unless it only supports authenticated connections (which, I believe, required TLS support, not just SSL).