Re: SMTP password

[Adam Shand <larry@alaska.net>]

> > I have a problem: my ISP ask me for username and password to send e-mail
> > by smtp. With Netscape is easy to configure it, but I don't know how to
> > do that with smail or sendmail. Can somebody help me?
>
> the problem is: smtp has NO password at all (AFAIK). the point is, you
> have to do "POP before SMTP" to authorize yourself, which netscape does
> normally.

actually with sendmail 8.10 and various other patches now available for
other mta's smtp auth is starting to spread.  it is possible that you are
being asked for a password, though it's unusual that they will insist on one
unless you are considered *OUTSIDE* of their ip space and thus get caught by
their anti-relay rules.

my first suggestion would be to do one of these things:

 * get your isp to add your ip address to their access list so you can send
   mail through their server without requiring authentication.

 * don't use your isp's mail servers, you obviously have a linux box just
   send mail directly from it (may be impossible if your isp filters port 25
   traffic at their router but not many do).

if neither of these are possible you're other options is to setup sendmail
8.10 with the sasl patches to talk smtp auth to their server.  this is not a
trivial solution though and i would recommend agaist it (simply because it's
complicated) unless there really no other way.

> when using an mta (e.g. sendmail) you have to do a "fetchmail" before
> sending any e-mail. on one box i configured i simply put a "fetchmail"
> in the ppp-up script, that is, fetchmail is called directly after dialing
> in. a problem arises, if you stay on-line that long, that your
> authorization times out - then you would have to "fetchmail" before
> sending e-mail again. but i thing it is a good idea to run fetchmail as a
> daemon as long as you are on-line, so it checks for mail and holds your
> smpt-authorization open every, say 10, minutes.

this will work if your isp supports pop before smtp, but if you are being
prompted for a password that is most likely not the problem.

adam.