Re: [Evolution] smtp/ssl

[Jeffrey Stedfast <fejj ximian com>]

On Wed, 2003-01-22 at 08:44, Kristoff Bonne wrote:
> Greetings,
>
>
> As I had been asked to set up a new mail-server, I also took the time at
> looking at a new mail-client; and so that's why I have been 'playing
> around' with evolution for a couple of days now.
>
>
> One of the things I would like to ask is this:
>
> Evolution has the possibity to use TSL (SSL) for both IMAP and SMTP; but
> I have problems with sendmail mail over a TSL link.
>
> When I set up 'TSL/SSL' in the SMTP-configuration module, the TSL seams
> to fail. (I actually get this:
>
> > Received: from freya.belbone.net ([192.168.252.55]) by
> >        ossmail1.sunmail.belbone.net. (8.12.7/8.12.2) with ESMTP id
> > h0MDXft5008821
> >        (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5 bits=128 verify=NO) for
> >        <kristoff belbone net>; Wed, 22 Jan 2003 14:33:41 +0100 (CET)
>
> (Note the 'verify=NO').
>
>
> It looks like there seams to a a TSL-problem between evolution (on the
> mail-client, a mandrake 8.0 linux-box) and sendmail (on the mail-server,
> a solaris 9).

I have no idea what that means, but it's nothing you should worry about presumably.

> One of the posibilities is that the problem could be related to related
> to the X.509 certificates used by openssl.
> I have installed the certificates of the server and the CA in the
> 'cert7.db' and 'keys3.db' on the client-side (using 'certutil' from
> mozilla).
> But how do I configure or know what key the client will use to set up a
> SMTP/TSL connection to the server?

Clients do not use certs to verify who it is against the server for SSL ciphered mail protocols. The server sends its cert to the client so the client can verify the server is who it claims to be.

So no, the client does not send any of the certs in the database to the server.

> Another possibility (which would actually be easier) is to imap/imaps to
> post messages (in-stead of smtp/smtps). In that case, I could use the
> existing IMAPs session. (which seams to be approuch taken by (e.g.) the
> mozilla mail-client).
> Is this possible in evolution?

Huh? You cannot send mail via IMAP. IMAP is for reading mail ONLY.

here's are a few few words from Mark Crispin on the subject:

>     > According to an old RFC document (2060) there's no way IMAP can work
>     > as protocol for sending  (outgoing) mail  ( so we'll have to use
>     > e.g. SMTP for outgoing mail).     Is this still absolutely true ?
>     
>     Yes, this is the case.
>     
>     It is doubtful that any proposal to do message posting in POP3 or IMAP
>     would be approved as an Internet standard.  There is, in fact, a great
>     deal of opposition to doing so.  At least in part, this is due to known
>     problems with unofficial extensions to do message posting in POP3.
>     
>     The most common reason why people ask for message posting options in POP3
>     and IMAP is for "security"; that is, they want authenticated posting.
>     There is an SMTP extension for client authentication.  Deployment of this
>     SMTP extension is the official means of addressing this need in the
>     Internet architecture.
>     
>     > IMHO Reducing number of required protocols can not bad.
>     
>     SMTP is already a required protocol.  Adding a new protocol to send mail
>     means that there are now two protocols for that function.  This in turn
>     means that when SMTP is extended for a particular purpose, then
>     corresponding extensions must be made to the other protocol.
>     
>     Yes, it is possible to make private extensions to add mail sending to
>     protocols such as POP and IMAP.  But there is no chance of those
>     extensions ever becoming standardized.
>     
>     You have the choice of spending time with non-standard extensions that are
>     not widely deployed, or working on standard extensions.  Similarly, you
>     have the choice of implementing only SMTP/submission, or implementing two
>     protocols (your non-standard extension *and* SMTP/submission).

So to answwer your question, no, you cannot send mail via IMAP nor will you likely ever be able to as it will never be a standard. As far as I know, there aren't even any IMAP implementations that allow it. Even if there were, it would be a waste of time.

Cheers,

Jeff
> Cheerio! Kr. Bonne.
>
> _______________________________________________
> evolution maillist  -  evolution lists ximian com
> http://lists.ximian.com/mailman/listinfo/evolution

-- 
Jeffrey Stedfast
Evolution Hacker - Ximian, Inc.
fejj ximian com  - www.ximian.com