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Monday, October 06, 2008

SMTP Auth

SMTP AUTH is the preferred and standard method for managing e-mail relay since it overcomes many of the short-comings of POP before SMTP.

How SMTP AUTH Works

With SMTP Authentication, e-mail client software like Outlook, Eudora, Pine, etc. can be configured to send a user ID and password to the FreeBSD Basic account during the course of mail delivery. If the user ID or password is incorrect, relaying is denied. Virtually all current e-mail clients have a way to specify that the outgoing SMTP server requires authentication. By specifying the Basic Hosting Account user name and password in the client settings or preferences, relaying e-mail through the Basic Hosting account becomes transparent to the user.

All new (activated after January 16, 2003) Basic Hosting Accounts will support both POP before SMTP *and* SMTP AUTH. Existing accounts will continue to support POP before SMTP only, SMTP AUTH only, or both options. We strongly encourage all users to transition to using SMTP AUTH for managing e-mail relay. Please read the detailed instructions below to determine your course of action (if any).

Implementing SMTP AUTH

After January 16, 2003 each FreeBSD Basic accounts will be able to relay e-mail through any of the following methods:

Option #1: POP authentication before SMTP relay only

Option #2: POP authenticaion before SMTP relay *and* SMTP AUTH

Option #3: SMTP AUTH only

Option #1 is the current default for all EXISTING accounts, which means no additional configuration is required on your part if you choose to continue managing e-mail relay through POP before SMTP only. If you select options #2 or #3 for EXISTING accounts, follow the instructions below (tasks #1 and #2).

Option #2 is the default for all NEW (activated after January 16) FreeBSD Basic accounts is POP authenticaion before SMTP relay *and* SMTP AUTH. If one method fails, the other method is used to authenticate a user for e-mail relay. If you choose to have your mail users authenticate through SMTP AUTH as part of option #2, the only action required is task #2 below *UNLESS* you are using procmail or SpamAssassin and then both task #1 and task #2 will need to be completed.

Option #3 allows SMTP AUTH only, which will then require you to complete tasks #1 below.

Task #1: Update the settings of users' mail clients

The instructions below were written for Outlook Express; however, similar steps should be followed for updating the settings or preferences in other mail clients. Look for places to configure the outgoing mail or SMTP server and insert the information requested. If given the choice of "mechanisms," choose plain text for all clients except Microsoft clients. (Microsoft clients use a mechanism known as "login," which is another plaintext authentication mechanism.) The current VPS sendmail setup doesn't yet support secure password authentication.

How to Configure Outlook Express to Use SMTP AUTH

(The following instructions may vary slightly, depending on which version of Outlook Express you use. Also, on Windows, the configuration dialogs can be reached either from the Windows Control Panel or from Outlook Express.)

From within Outlook Express, select:

Tools -> Accounts -> Mail
Select your outgoing e-mail account then click "Properties".
On the Properties dialog, click the "Servers" tab:
Near the bottom of the Servers tab, in the "Outgoing Mail Server" section, click the checkbox "My server requires authentication". Then click the "Settings ..." button.
Click the "Log on using" radio button, then type your VPS account name and password. You will probably want to check the "Remember password" box.
Click "OK" and/or "Apply" buttons to return to "Outlook Express"

Please consult our support documentation or contact Technical Support if you have questions about this new functionality.

Additional Information

http://alpineweb.com.com/support/vps/email/authentication.html

http://alpineweb.com/support/vps/email/spam/pop_before_smtp.html

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