[Info-vax] SMTP and POP/IMAP through SSH

[Michael Austin]

Crni Gorac wrote:
> Now when Eisner is hopefully on its way back (many thanks to everyone
> involved in starting resolving this issue!):
> 
> In the meantime, I used an account on a Linux server as my main mail
> account.  My desktop machine is also Linux, and am using mutt to
> handle e-mail.  Previously, I was forwarding my e-mail to Eisner, and
> was fetching it to my desktop machine through POP3; I was also sending
> my e-mail through Eisner, using SMTP - in both cases, SSL extensions
> were employed, to avoid sending my Eisner password in plain text
> around.  Now, while working with the Linux server in the meantime, I
> learned about rather nice ways to simplify these: in mutt, it is
> possible to specify remote sendmail program to be launched through SSH
> for mail delivering, and in fetchmail (that I'm using for getting mail
> from the server to my desktop machine) it is also possible to use so-
> called SSH plugin to start talking directly with remote IMAP server
> (and to practically get authenticated this way).  The advantages of
> this approach are that there is no need to mess with SSL certificates
> (which is nice simplification, if one already setup password-less SSH
> authentication), and that at least one external program less is needed
> (mutt has to use external programs for sending/fetching mail, so while
> I have to keep fetchmail, at least I could get read of auxiliary SMTP
> program on the desktop machine).  So, my question is then: is it
> possible to employ VMS server to work with e-mail this way (to talk
> with SMTP server on remote machine through SSH, and to fetch mail
> through SSH too)?
> 
> Thanks.

If you just need to configure VMS for POP/IMAP:

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/732final/6526/6526pro_042.html

I have not figured out how to SEND email via my VMS box because the ISP 
blocks ALL outbound SMTP (port 25) except from their mail 
[authenticated] servers - therefore eliminating infected DSL/Dialup/ 
DynamicIP systems from becoming spambots.  If the spambot pulls 
authentication in from "lookout" then they get shutdown due to the 
traffic. Also, most mail servers reject anything from the posted list of 
"DSL/Dialup/DynIP" addresses so I still lose.

I am not yet at the point I want to pay for STATIC and go full blown 
DNS, mail etc... (these addresses that are set for rDNS are not affected 
by the above scheme.