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http://www.macnn.com/articles/01/03/16/smtp.services/

SMTP services with Mac.com email

updated 02:50 am EST, Fri March 16, 2001

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Josh Rafofsky writes about new SMTP services with Apple's iTools services, noting that it now provides authenticated SMTP services for all registered users.

I have always had hassles with SMTP server access in general, as ISP's do
whatever they can to prevent spammers from taking advantage. As a customer
of AT&T Broadband's residential "Roadrunner" cable modem service, I have
*never* been able to send mail reliably when connected by their mobile
access service -- making their mobile access pretty worthless. (They claim
they've been "beta testing" for a year.) I also have PowerBook clients who
get frustrated that they have to change their SMTP servers every time they
travel.

Here's the good news, from iTools. Perhaps in preparation for tighter
integration with OS X, iTools now offers SMTP access! (Previously, iTools
users had to use their own ISP's SMTP server.) The SMTP server address for
iTools is smtp.mac.com. Yes, it does require authentication, using your
iTools name and password, but after it's set up it appears to work
regardless of how you're connected to the 'net.

by MacNN Staff

Post tools:

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03/16, 03:13am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Yes!

Glad to see someone [BIG] step up to the plate and at least test out authenticated SMTP. This feature has been available for forever on just about all e-mail clients.

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03/16, 03:24am | report spam | close Reply | delete
SSL?

Hello, does anyone know if it offers SSL?

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03/16, 03:51am | report spam | close Reply | delete
how do you set it up?

using outlook express, I've put in the new smtp server, but it wont send saying "try authenticating" but how? Where do I tell it to do that? Thanks

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03/16, 04:21am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Set it up by...

Going to Tools - Accounts - (double-click on the actual account) - Under SENDING MAIL - "Click here for advanced sending options" - set your authentication stuff there...

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03/16, 04:21am | report spam | close Reply | delete
LOL...enough is never...

...enough for us.

To the "try authenticating" poster,

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03/16, 04:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Or set it up by...

Using Outlook Express help. :-)

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03/16, 04:44am | report spam | close Reply | delete
works for me

I went into advanced settings in outlook express sending options. It works. Woo Hooo

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03/16, 06:05am | report spam | close Reply | delete
At last

SMTP was a big omission that could easily of prevented you using a mac.com address unless you knew of a sympathetic relay server.

What I would REALLY love would be an IMAP service as POP is far too clumsy. However, I'm now happy enough to stop my mac.com address from forwarding and use it for real.

Thanks, Apple.

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03/16, 06:52am | report spam | close Reply | delete
POP is clumsy?

How is POP clumsy? And why is IMAP better?

-peter

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03/16, 07:08am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Your own smtp server

If you have cable/dsl access you can set up your own smtp server (if you have a modem it is not efficient). I have done it and I did not have a problem since

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03/16, 07:15am | report spam | close Reply | delete
still cant find where...

In tools:accounts I opened the account and clicked the advanced options box, but the only options are for SSL, overriding SMTP port, and domain for unqualified addresses. There's nowhere for me to put my login and password.

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03/16, 08:16am | report spam | close Reply | delete
web access

I hate to ask for another feature from iTools, but a web interface for the mail program would be a big plus!

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03/16, 08:27am | report spam | close Reply | delete
re: web access

try www.iloveapple.com

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03/16, 08:28am | report spam | close Reply | delete
What a great way�l

For Apple the spread the word about the Mac�

Everyone, use signatures to tell your fellow Mac users about the new feature PROMOTE THE MAC!

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03/16, 08:39am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Go Steve!

Steve Jobs rules!

--
go Apple

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03/16, 08:46am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Entourage

I sent an e-mail to another address that I own via Entourage with the new SMTP server setup.... but I never received it..
Problems?

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03/16, 08:48am | report spam | close Reply | delete
POP vs. IMAP

Since the other poster did'nt answer your question, I will. POP= post office protocol. You log in, and it downloads your messages, removing them from the mail server in the process. IMAP= internet mail protocol= you download your messages, but they STAY on the server until you delete them. Much better for the traveller. I suppose most web-mail services are IMAP, but there are a number of non-browser-based IMAP clients out there.

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03/16, 08:48am | report spam | close Reply | delete
I got it

Sorry I got it... only 20 minutes later...this SMTP today is a little bit SLOW

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03/16, 09:07am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: POP vs. IMAP

Just like to add a note to the previous poster's message comparing POP and IMAP. You can specify that a copy of messages be left on a POP mail server so you have access to them while traveling. If you're using Outlook, look in account options.

Oliver

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03/16, 09:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Doesn't work!

Whenever I send email from Entourage using this new SMTP, even if the "From" address is my iTools account, I get the email returned, saying, "Message ws not delivered because the email address you used could not be authenticated."

Am I alone here?

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03/16, 09:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Doesn't work!

Whenever I send email from Entourage using this new SMTP, even if the "From" address is my iTools account, I get the email returned, saying, "Message ws not delivered because the email address you used could not be authenticated."

Am I alone here?

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03/16, 09:31am | report spam | close Reply | delete
To the confused

BTW, I am the guy who sent the original note to MacNN.

To those who say they can't find the panel to enter authentication, or that it "doesn't work"...

...perhaps you need to upgrade to Outlook Express 5. In that version, there is a distinct panel in Tools -- Account," under SMTP Server, for ADVANCED SETTINGS. In there, you have to type in your iTools user name and password. Then it works.

For those looking for web access to their mail, try www.iloveapple.com (as suggested) or www.mail2web.com (which works for any and all POP mail servers out there.) You could also use HotMail to check your POP mail. I set up a Hotmail account not for the account, but just for mobile access to my POP mail on the road. You can even change the "replyto:" address, so if you send mail from it people will reply to your regular e-mail account, not your Hotmail account. Then there's Yahoo Mail, and a bunch of others.

Finally, as a solution midway between POP and IMAP, you could also set your Account settings in OE5 to "Leave Mail on Server for xx days" after it's received. That way it's still there when you retrieve it on the road. Works for me...

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03/16, 09:33am | report spam | close Reply | delete
pop vs imap

Well, the real difference is that in pop you download the whole message (yes, it can be left on the server) but in imap the client only downloads the headers of the message. When the message is read, the rest of the message is retrieved. This is great for slow connections because you can see how big messages are before you have to download them.

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03/16, 09:37am | report spam | close Reply | delete
mac.com supports IMAP!

I just set up my mac.com account using the account assistant in Entourage and selected IMAP as the server type and guess what? - it works! I also created a folder on the server called "Sent" and configured the account to store sent messages there. Seems to work just fine as an IMAP server for me.

Thanks, Apple! How about a little more documentation on features, though?

Max

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03/16, 09:44am | report spam | close Reply | delete
mac.com supports IMAP!

I just set up my mac.com account using the account assistant in Entourage and selected IMAP as the server type and guess what? - it works! I also created a folder on the server called "Sent" and configured the account to store sent messages there. Seems to work just fine as an IMAP server for me.

Thanks, Apple! How about a little more documentation on features, though?

Max

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03/16, 09:46am | report spam | close Reply | delete
POP leave on server

Just a quick note about this... In my experience as a webmaster, POP can have significant problems when you leave mail on the server. What happens, is that your POP account gets too full (because it's leaving all of the messages on the server), and then you can no longer get *any* messages. The way I believe you solve this is: 1) select a small number of days to leave it on the server (5 days?); and 2) download and then delete all large messages (particularly ones with large attachments).

This can be such a problem, that it may behoove you to get a mail browser from http://www.macdownload.com (like Mail Siphon, Mail Monitor or Mad Mail Purger), so you can log in to the POP server, and "browse" your mailbox. Then, determine which message(s) are stuffing your box, and hit the delete key (after you download them and save the attachment, of course!). The setup is about the same as setting up your e-mail client (POP server, login name, password).

Have a nice day!

Web Maestro Clay

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03/16, 09:53am | report spam | close Reply | delete
only in OE 5.02

I just discovered that authenticated SMTP only appears in v5.02 of OE -- I'm currently using 5.01 because it works better with Hotmail for me, but I may upgrade here shortly, especially if Apple ever builds a Web interface for the mac.com addresses (please do this!!).

Has anyone confirmed the post that IMAP works on the mac.com servers??

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03/16, 09:54am | report spam | close Reply | delete
POP vs. IMAP moving...

I didn't want to risk a long off-topic post here, so I went to the Forums area and started a topic with my comments. (Nothing wrong with either POP or IMAP. I prefer IMAP, but there ar stil reasons for POP.) It'd be a good place to post further comments on IMAP and POP, links to further information, and opinions about IMAP-capable clients!

------------------
Dean Lewis
www.offbalance.com

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03/16, 09:56am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Earthlink and SMTP

If you have any type of Earthlink or Mindspring access account then don't bother even trying to use an smtp server outside of their domain - it won't work. You can only use Earthlink's smtp server, it will block any attempt to relay via an external smtp server whether or not you are authenticated, have legitimate access, whatever.

-Jesse

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03/16, 10:01am | report spam | close Reply | delete
OOPS! on moving...

I meant to include a link to that forum message. It's in the "Internet Software" section at:

http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/Forum23/HTML/001527.html

-- Dean

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03/16, 10:16am | report spam | close Reply | delete
yes

IMAP works with mac.com addresses

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03/16, 10:17am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Outlook Express and POP

Just a note that hasn't been mentioned yet about using POP services. In Outlook Express you have a feature called "Online Access" in the Account options. Using this you will see (along the right hand side of the Outlook Express window where Inbox is listed) an item with the same name as your account. Clicking on it will retrieve all the header information for each of your messages, leaving the remainder of each message on the server (just like an IMAP account). In my experiences with Erols, BellAtlantic.Net, a college account, and mac.com, this works very well: allows you to delete unwanted messages without downloading the entire message, read only what you want to read, and keep all your messages on the server (I don't know if it limits the length of time the messages stay on the server, since their isn't an option to set this I would assume it is the maximum allowed by POP servers). This works great for me as I have multiple computers in my house, store all my messages on one, but sometimes am sitting at another and want to check my email. This is also a great way for administrators to keep tabs on users mailbox accounts without being noticed or wasting lots of time. Another use for this is mailbombs, that is to say if you are being mailbombed you do NOT want to have to download every single message, but at the same time their might be messages you don't want to loose by erasing everything. using the Online Access feature you can see all the headers, and then sort them by subject or sender to group all the mailbombs (which generally are a single message repeated thousands of times) together and delete them all at once, leaving the rest of your messages in tact. Having received over 10,000 mailbomb messages once I can safely say this works - I was able to delete the first few hundred before having received the rest and then reloaded the account to see more and delete those...I just deleted them as they came in basically, with very little hassle.

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03/16, 10:40am | report spam | close Reply | delete
That's interesting!

I wonder if that is scriptable/actionable/whatever-Outlook-has so you wouldn't have had to sit and watch the incoming headers...?

This kind of information would be excellent to include in the topic I made in the forums. The forums are searchable and may stick around longer than these individual article add-ons. (Of course, with the coming change in forums, I'm not sure what might happen to current messages.) Anyone interested in this topic could search the forum and get a whole wealth of tips, opinions, web and faq links lumped together.

-- Dean

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03/16, 10:58am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Go Steve!

Steve Jobs rules!

Now there's a scary thought!

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03/16, 11:07am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: POP vs. IMAP

Yes, but POP cannot have many folders stored on the server. IMAP can - you can organize your mail on the server and access it from anywhere. POP is limited to the Inbox only.

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03/16, 11:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Earthlink and SMTP

It's not Earthlink that's blocking SMTP relaying, it's the external SMTP server that's blocking relaying. In general, if you're dialed into Earthlink and try to use an SMTP server on another domain, the other SMTP server will know that you're not on its domain, and therefore block you (you appear to be a spammer, so I'm not gonna let you send mail). Basically, SMTP servers use the domain blocking as authentication (I can trust anybody appearing to be from my domain).

Apple's iTools uses a login and password for authentication so they can block spammers who are just trolling around for open SMTP servers. (Though any spammer who really wants to use smtp.mac.com for spamming would be able to create an iTools account and use it then.)

So go ahead and use this. It comes in handy if you have to dial-in to multiple ISPs, say one for University, another for work, etc. BTW, IMAP does work!

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03/16, 11:33am | report spam | close Reply | delete
IMAP

Check out the iTools discussion on macfixit.

It turns out that Apple has now also quietly enabled IMAP for ITools mail. (It's the default for this configuration under MacOS X).

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03/16, 11:45am | report spam | close Reply | delete
SSL and email

Why whould you use SSL with email? Simple you email transmissions betweeen the stmp or pop server would be encrypted making it hard for people on your subnet and such to sniff your email packets and read it... i think... but i have a feeling it has more to do with the password and keeping that safe... other wise using PGP would be better to keep your email off limit to others.

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03/16, 11:47am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Using Claris Emailer?

Anyone have luck using Claris Emailer? I get the following error:

Sending mail using �smtp.mac.com�
Sending 1 of 1
Sending message �testing smtp�
** 530 delivery not allowed to non-local recipient, try
authenticating

** SMTP server error �503 No recipients specified�

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03/16, 12:00pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
postarama

Anyone have luck using Claris Emailer? I get the following error:

Sending mail using �smtp.mac.com�
Sending 1 of 1
Sending message �testing smtp�
** 530 delivery not allowed to non-local recipient, try
authenticating

** SMTP server error �503 No recipients specified�

Honestly people, this has been answered already! Can we not read before we add to the c*** that we need to wade through here? Really, s**** the head on and do some research, it's right in front of your face!

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03/16, 12:06pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Earthlink and SMTP

Actually, it IS Earthlink that's blocking access to external (non-earthlink) SMTP servers (blocking port25 access). If you use Earthlink as your provider, you won't be able to use smtp.mac.com (or any other outside smtp host) -- authenticated or not.

Check out http://help.earthlink.net/port25/ for EL's policy on this.

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03/16, 12:10pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
assholitalics

how do you authenticate when sending using Claris Emailer?
is that better??

Geez.

Thanks to anyone who responds politely. ^_^

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03/16, 12:12pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Earthlink and SMTP

hmmm, that kinda sucks. and it doesn't jive with Apple if they're gonna be providing SMTP through iTools.

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03/16, 12:23pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Need Outlook Express 5.02

To use authenticated SMTP, you MUST have Outlook Express 5.02. Version 5.0 does NOT have authenticated SMTP.

Before you ask, yes, Entourage has it -- and you can script setting it up, which you can't do with MSOE's more limited AppleScript dictionary.

My college campus requires authenticated SMTP and I couldn't use it with MSOE until the 5.02 update came out. (If you download MSOE 5 now, you get 5.02.) We also use IMAP instead of POP and I find IMAP to be far superior, but you typically need an "always on" Internet connection to make best use of it -- because your mail is stored at the mail server, not on the computer that downloads it. (A BIG benefit for those with multiple computers they use to check mail -- no synchronization is necessary, because you always link back to your mailboxes on the IMAP server. Even your subfolders are there.)

BTW, Netscape Communicator (at least up through 4.7.6) happily supports authenticated SMTP, and has for literally years.

You can tell MSOE to use the same account login info for SMTP that you use for POP. That's probably ideal, so you don't have to remember passwords in two dialogs.

SSL and TLS are two options that can be used to securely encrypt your login information (only) as it passes to the mail server. It doesn't look like the Mac.com accounts have the ability to use either for POP retrieval or SMTP sending, as I just tried and failed. (Netscape Communicator also has this feature, as well as an option to use them "if possible" -- meaning it's not an either/or situation in that program, like it is in MSOE.) Since this is the case, your POP and SMTP account logins are essentially sent over the commodity Internet in plain text -- like almost every service out there, it seems.

Gosh, I feel insecure ...

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03/16, 12:31pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: Need OE 5.02

Any other email clients that support Authenticated SMTP out there?

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03/16, 12:35pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Mail programs supporting.

For the reader asking if there are other mail programs that support Authenticated SMTP:

The answer is-- Just about any mail program that's still actively supported will support Authentication. That covers Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape. I presume PowerMail and any others as well.

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03/16, 12:41pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
netscape settings

anyone getting this stuff to work in netscapes mail client? I seem to getting to an endless loop where I'm asked to fill in name and log-in over and over again upon sending - all to no avail. I get the white dialog first, then a grey one...

Thankful for help

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03/16, 12:50pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
What exactly is SMTP?

What exactly is SMTP? And why would I want to use it?
In other wowhat's all the fuss about?

--clueless Eudora user

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03/16, 12:59pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
IMAP

Didn't you try IMAP??? It works as well with mac.com.

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03/16, 01:25pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
In the clear

Unfortunately, both SMTP (outgoing mail) and POP (incoming mail) authentication to mac.com are currently going over the net in plaintext, which means passwords can be intercepted in transit. This is not a good thing on such a heavily used network (and has become basically stupid anywhere on the net in 2001).

This could be fixed in the POP case if Apple used APOP logins for their POP servers (so your password would never be sent in the clear when you check mail). This would also cover outgoing mail if they also activated the POP XTND XMIT command extension, which allows you to submit mail through your authenticated POP session (analogous to using SMTP AUTH - the POP server hands off the mail to its local SMTP server). Eudora supports POP XTND XMIT as well as APOP (though see my note to the Mac Resource Page for an issue with Eudora 4's APOP handling - I haven't tested 5.x).

It's possible that the SMTP servers already support a better AUTH method than "plain", which is what I saw used when I sniffed my SMTP connection to mac.com yesterday. However if they do, my client (Eudora 4) wasn't using it. Perhaps Eudora 5 or (gasp) Outlook support encrypted authentication (anyone have a report on this?). If it's the Apple server that's limited to "plain", they should also allow an encrypted alternative; one of the other AUTH methods, or transport layer security (STARTTLS - not that any mail clients will likely support this for message submission just yet).

For now, they should really turn on APOP and XTND XMIT. IMAP is terrific, but a lot of people will continue using POP for a long time to come, and it might as well be as secure and functional as possible.

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03/16, 01:28pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
SMTP w/Emailer, Earthlink

First off, if you're connected to Earthlink, what does it matter if you send your mail through earthlink or through mac.com???

Second, emailer won't work (I see no one answering the question) because emailer doesn't do authentecated SMTP.

Third, SMTP is the protocol used to send internet mail onto the internet. For a majority of the people out there, who cares, as you already can send mail through your dial-in server (say Earthlink, ATT, MCI, erols, etc, etc, etc.) For AOL users, this is a big plus, as you can now use a mail program (like Outlook) to email people with your mac.com address, not your AOL address. To the traveler, its handy as they don't have to change their SMTP server if they dial into different providers from different places.

But there's no "real" reason to get excited, unless you have access to the internet, but not a mail server for sending mail.

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03/16, 01:51pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
IMAP vs. POP

IMAP sounds great, but it has its problems. One is, with all mail stored on your server, if you don't delete it off, you're bound to run into diskspace limitations (many of my customers hit this all the time, quite an annoyance). Whether you can tell your email client to delete the mail from the server but leave it in your local mailbox, I don't know (don't use it).

POP is less likely to reach limits, unless you have it set up to never delete your mail. POP access can be slow if you have a large mailbox on the mail server (my work mail always seems to take the longest to start to download, most likely because its filled with attachments and I keep mail for 7 days or so).

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03/16, 02:31pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: SMTP w/Earthlink

Because: I use a Powerbook, I dial in to Earthlink when at home, and at work I use the local network. Before, using Outlook Express 4, it honored Internet Settings so the local SMTP server was set when I changed Locations via Location Manager. However, OE 5 broke this and I haven't gotten it to work since.

My current workaround is to duplicate Accounts in OE5. OE5 is able to change default accounts according to my location in Location Manager, so at home, I have a default account named "mac.com from Earthlink" which was set to use Earthlink's SMTP server and at work, I have another named "mac.com from work" which used my work's SMTP server.

Add to this working from remote sites and client sites and this iTools SMTP server is a real boon. Heck, if I'm at a friend's house, connected via Airport, I'll no longer have to change my SMTP server just to send mail from his house. Same goes for wireless access at a local library, and soon in the airport business class lounges. I use my Powerbook in lots of different places and not having to change the SMTP server comes in handy!

I suppose it doesn't really matter for the iMac owners out there but for us mobile people, it does simplify things a bit.

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03/16, 06:17pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Auth SMTP in Apple Mail

hey, does anyone know if Apple's OS X Mail applicaion will support authentication of SMTP severs? currently, the version in OS X PB does not.

Btw, IMAP (internet mail access protocal) does work with mail.mac.com
yippie !!! i found something new to play with 'till OS X gets here!!

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03/16, 06:39pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Apple Mail

Apple Mail in its current state is much different (and much better) than the version in PB.

Yes it supports authentication, but the default is IMAP for your mac.com account.

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03/16, 10:40pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
SMTP w/Earthlink

I have Earthlink and I use several different SMTP servers including mac.com so it can't be true in a general sense that Earthlink blocks access to "outside" smtp servers.

Also, if both providers use "mail" or "smtp" as there server subdomain then simply put that in (without the domain name) as your outgoing server and if you configure TCP/IP correctly it will add the correct domain.

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03/17, 12:42pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Re: SMTP w/Earthlink

"I have Earthlink and I use several different SMTP servers including mac.com so it can't be true in a general sense that Earthlink blocks access to "outside" smtp servers.

Also, if both providers use "mail" or "smtp" as there server subdomain then simply put that in (without the domain name) as your outgoing server and if you configure TCP/IP correctly it will add the correct domain."

Well, I can't imagine how you can do this and no one else can. Earthlink specifically states that they will NOT support smtp relay outside their own domain. I suppose if you have abusiness class dsl connection you might be able to but ordinary residential dial up and dsl accounts are not able.

-Jesse

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03/17, 09:59pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
port 25 filtering

Large ISPs like Earthlink are a disparate collection of networks, acquired and grown at various times. Some will implement egress filters that prevent you from connecting to port 25 of an external host, others won't, and others simply can't. I've noted this with other ISPs as well, such as @home cable providers, and the now-defunct free ISPs. If you want to know whether you can use someone else's SMTP server in your neighbourhood, try and see. You might also see whether you can connect to port 587 (Message Submission, which is SMTP for the specific purpose of communicating to mail clients, aka "MSAs").

Personally I wouldn't use an ISP that prevented me from connecting to an external mail server (or any other poorly-justified port limitation) - there are always alternatives you can do business with. Vote with your dollars here. For that matter, one wonders why this Scientologist-owned company wants the exclusive right to handle all your outgoing mail...

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03/19, 11:02am | report spam | close Reply | delete
To Jesse

Jesse, I have Earthlink DSL, use it with the iMac and via AirPort when I'm on the PowerBook. I also use Entourage. I just adjusted my SMTP settings to smtp.mac.com on the PowerBook and everything is working beautifully! This is really great!

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Claris emailer and SMTP?

I'm still using the old Claris Emailer, does anyone know if it can support authenticated SMTP? Seems like it can't, too old. Perhaps finally time to try something new.
-Chris
cmi@mac.com

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AOL and outgoing SMTP

It has been my experience that AOL doesn't really provide outgoing SMTP service; they're just a little trickier with filtering it.

When you make an outgoing connection on port 25, the connection is rerouted to an SMTP proxy server. Connecting with NiftyTelnet to smtp.mac.com on port 25 gives me this server greeting:
220 tot-te.proxy.aol.com ESMTP Sendmail 8.10.0/8.10.0; Mon, 19 Mar 2001 13:06:47 -0500 (EST)

Nothing wrong with this, right? Well, one side effect of this SMTP proxy is that it attaches the e-mail address of the screen name you're currently signed on with as a header in the outgoing mail message:
X-Apparently-From: screenname@aol.com

I for one don't want headers in my outgoing mail telling people that the message was sent from a different address; if I wanted them to get mail from my AOL address, I'd send it from my AOL address.

Of course, your mileage may vary; this is just my personal experience and opinion.

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Re: POP vs. IMAP

I just have to chime in here. POP is barbaric and frustrating. Sure, I can "leave messages on the server" when I'm traveling/at a nother machine. But will they then download as new messages when I'm at my regular workstation? Often not. IMAP on the other hand is marvelous. My computer can catch on *fire* and I never have to worry that I've lost my email. Furthermore, I can do all of my mail from any workstation that I happen to be at - including my IN box, OUT box, Drafts, Trash... In other words I can *really* do my email tasks from anywhere.

I'm in love with IMAP and I'm incredibly pleased that I now have it without using a Web-based client and an embarassing domain name (hotmail, etc).

GO APPLE!

Scott

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IMAP

...is not "internet mail protocol." POP is also an internet mail protocol. IMAP is "interactive mail protocol," which much better describes how it is different from POP, which operates like a P.O. box: your mail arrives, you pick it up and look at it in your office. IMAP is interactive in the sense that the post office clerk opens the envelope and faxes you the content, and then puts the letter back in the envelope. You can still go to the P.O. to get the physical letter if you want, or you can tell the clerk to throw it out.

tooki
Moderator, PowerBook forum

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It works for me too

I had gotten sick of BellSouth's smtp server. It was always very slow and unreliable. I just went into my account settings in Entourage and enterend smtp.mac.com and clicked on smtp options to add authentication. Very easy.

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Loss of anonymity

Just noticed an intreresting bug/feature using smtp.mac.com... Your sent emails will be identified with your real name that you used to set up your iTools account. Using the smtp server with my ISP my sent emails are identified with whatever I have setup in the Outlook Express or Entourage name field in the accounts window.

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Server bounces mail

Has anyone seen this response from the smtp.mac.com server? I'm not sure why I get it, does it mean my From field has to be by address@mac.com? That would defeat the whole point of having an authenticating smtp server!

Text of response:

Dear iTools Member:

Your message was not delivered because the email address you used could
not be authenticated. Please ensure that the email address in the "From"
field corresponds to the account from which you are sending the message.

...
original message

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SMTP services with Mac.com email

updated 02:50 am EST, Fri March 16, 2001

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