On 2 Oct 2000, 18:42, Tim Schoon wrote:
> Right. It has to be done manually. But what the request was how to
> authenticate SMTP - you have to POP authenticate before SMTP. He didn't
> inquire about ESMTP.
We seem to be confused here. :-)
E-mail services want to make sure you are a legitimate user of their
servers before relaying mail through their SMTP servers. So one of two
tests may be employed:
(1) The cheapest method is to require you to "Pop before sending" or
"Pop First," as we sometimes call it. This is a configuration set up
in mail exchange servers to require you to first download your mail
before you can send your mail. When you pop first, switches are set
allowing you to send mail for a set amount of time.
Of course, in downloading your mail, you login with your username and
password and the service can confirm you are a registered user that way.
(2) A better, albeit more expensive method to authenticate you as a
legitimate user, is for the service to use an ESMTP server. ESMTP is
an *Extended* or *Enhanced* SMTP, originally defined in RFC 1869 and
later expanded in subsequent RFC documents. It was in RFC 2554 where
the new AUTH command was first defined:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc2554.html
With the AUTH command that you have with ESMTP, your client can then
log directly to the ESMTP server with your username and password. You
won't have to be switched via the POP3 server to authenticate yourself
as a legitimate user of the service. Therefore you can then send mail
without having to download mail, first. No "POP first," necessary. :-)
Alan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
