Re: [LI] Question about POP accounts

["Suresh Ramasubramanian" <Suresh@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 24 Nov 99, at 8:45, thus spake Murthy:

> How are POP accounts different from system accounts?

POP accts are those stored on a remote mailbox from which you can 
download mails to your hard disk using any mail client (from 
Outlook to fetchmail/mutt)

> How do I setup POP accounts ( with access only to mailboxes and
> nothing else)? 

On your linux server?  Just limit permissions when setting up the 
user acct.  Block access to port 21, 23 etc and allow access only to 
port 25 (smtp) and 110 (pop3).  Better still - block port 25 also, so 
that users must use their ISP's smtp server (vsnl say) to send mails.

Stick to the latest version of MTA (if sendmail, use 8.9.3 or 8.10 
beta).  If you dont want to use sendmail which is getting rather old 
and insecure, there are other mail transport agents - iMail / 
Exchange etc on windows / qmail etc on Linux.

> Does anybody know of any web interface scripts for changing the POP
> passwords by users - Some scripts that can be put on my linux server

There are several - Search for web based email scripts - these will 
give a hotmail like interface to yr pop mailboxes, including the 
facility to change passwords.

Also - if running a freemail or other service -

1. Ensure you are not an open relay smtp server (see 
http://www.abuse.net/relay.html for more on this)

2. Maintain valid postmaster and abuse mailboxes (these may be 
aliases to another account on your system - say webmaster or 
whatever, no need to create separate accts)

3. Deal with complaints of spam etc promptly.  If a user mentions 
one of yr addresses in a spam mail (to make money reply to 
user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx at once) then delete the guy's account at 
once.

contact me for more

--s


Suresh Ramasubramanian
106D, Aditya Enclave, Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500038, India.
Phone: +(91-40)3736553/3745398 | eFax: +(1-603)590-5437
Suresh@xxxxxxxxxxx | Suresh@xxxxxxxx
http://www.kcircle.com | http://www.angen.net/~pegasus/
    The only thing that hurts more than paying income tax
    is not having to pay income tax.

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