Email Sending via Port 587

[chrisgr31]

Can someone explain to me what is right and what isn't in fairly basic terms.

I have a website (www.crowborough.info)hosted by Redstation from which I receive emails. However I find I can't reply.
The problem apparently is that my ISP (AOL) won't allow the use of Port 25 for sending emails (this is the default apparently). They say that industry standard should be Port 587 as an aniti-spam feature.

Redstation in the meantime say that Port 587 is only industry standard for AOL and they don't support it.

So who is right and what is the solution?

[zumbruk]

Much as I hate to admit it, AOL have a point. From /etc/services on my Unix machine;

submission 587/tcp # Mail Message Submission
submission 587/udp # see RFC 2476

So, you better go read RFC 2476.

[pontypool]

the solution is to relay messages outside of your ISP

www.no-ip.com - we use it as well as reccomending it to some of our clients in places like serviced offices who get the same problem.

[aldi]

I had exactly this problem with a chap on AOL the other week. His domain hosts smtp server didnt accept connections on port 587. Ended up creating him a gmail account, adding his domain account to it so he could send using gmails smtp server with a from address of his domain. Bit of a bodge but its working fine...

Hope it works out for you.

N

[chrisgr31]

zumbruk said:

Much as I hate to admit it, AOL have a point. From /etc/services on my Unix machine;

submission 587/tcp # Mail Message Submission
submission 587/udp # see RFC 2476

So, you better go read RFC 2476.

Errmm whats RFC 2476?

[chrisgr31]

So some work arounds there thank you. So why do AOL block Port 25 if it used for email? And come to that if everyone followed their example and moved to Port 587 wouldn't the same problems arise?

Edited by chrisgr31 on Thursday 26th October 13:24

[TheExcession]

chrisgr31 said:

zumbruk said:

Much as I hate to admit it, AOL have a point. From /etc/services on my Unix machine;

submission 587/tcp # Mail Message Submission
submission 587/udp # see RFC 2476

So, you better go read RFC 2476.

Errmm whats RFC 2476?

I was waiting for that

RFCs (Requests For Comments) are the standards tracking documents for the Internet. Everything about the way a particular aspect of Inter-networking is to be done is described in a RFC. Sometimes they can be a bit dry

RFC 2476 is the document that describes how a Messaging Submission should work.

[url]RFC 2476|www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2476.html[/u] though to be fair, having just skimmed this one I'm not too sure it will help you!

best
Ex

[chrisgr31]

TheExcession said:

[url]RFC 2476|www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2476.html[/u] though to be fair, having just skimmed this one I'm not too sure it will help you!

best
Ex

You wouldn't happen to offer a translation service would you?

Mind you suppose I could just write to Redstation saying See RFC 2476 and can you explain why you don;t use it?

[aldi]

chrisgr31 said:

if everyone followed their example and moved to Port 587 wouldn't the same problems arise?

Yes, basically. They're saying that 587 is standard for authenticated SMTP but basically, it isn't. Everyone does it on port 25.

What they've done is probably fairly effective at stopping spammers because spammers just want to broadcast their emails direct on port 25 without using a relay, since using a relay would a) provide tracability back to them and b) throttle back their spamming. So by blocking port 25 and forcing you either use AOL relays or to relay outside AOL's network via 587 they're hoping to stop spammers, but what they're mainly doing is wasting your, my and a lot of other peoples time having to come up with ways around it for legitimate use.

[thepassenger]

If I remember (haven't read the RFC) 587 is for SMTP via SSL whereas port 25 is vanilla SMTP. Same as POP3 is 110 and POP3-SSL is 995 I'd have thought.