Topic: SMTP from outside my LAN!!!

[Engelmann]

Hi,
i am running e-smith 4.1.1 to test this great system in all ranges. I just enabled ISDN, a virus gateway (trends viruswall). i will do a faxserver (fax2send or hylafax) and a multifetchfeature.
the server is running a dedicated dsl line with a real domain routed to its ip....
so the MX record links on this machine...

IN my opinion e-smith is the greatest linuxbased server for small bussiness u can get (forget microsoft) but still ONE big problem is left for me!
in our firm some staffmembers have to journey a lot around the hole planet. they are away for one or two weeks. in this time they need to get there emails and some files from the server to work abroad.
-getting there emails works fine (pop3)
-getting the files works fine (ftp)
-but how to send emails with smtp - ok webmail is good - but tell a 50 years old staffmember to now use this webmail instead of his outlook - forget it.

so i have a problem - i don't want to open my smtp port so everyone can send emails over my server - what can i do?

in outlook u can enable authentification for smtp as well as for pop3 (same user/pw) - can e-smith (qmail) handle this feature?
some greater email providers (like gmx or web.de) only allow to send emails with the right sender address in the email - can qmail enable this feature?

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME - I NEED HELP!

thx engel.

[Darrell May]

The quick answer is to use the smtp of the Internet provider used for connecting when out of the office.  In Outlook you could set up two Internet accounts to facilitate this easier.

Darrell

[Engelmann]

sorry - but the ISPs SMTP is protected the same way - our staffs uses many different isps (e.g in honkong, usa, capstadt, tokio....) so there is no other smtp we could use.....

[engelmann]

no ideas?

[Dan Brown]

Try setting up a VPN, maybe?  Just a guess, but this might do what you're looking for...

[Mike Sensney]

Install "local" SMTP servers on each of the client computers to handle outgoing mail.

Mercury is free. Support and manuals available for a fee.
http://www.pmail.com/overviews/ovw_mercury.htm

[Michel Jung]

Engelmann wrote:

[...]
> viruswall). i will do a faxserver (fax2send or hylafax) and a
> multifetchfeature.
[...]
Email Virus scanning have already running but let me know if fax2send works on e-smith

[...]
> -getting there emails works fine (pop3)
> -getting the files works fine (ftp)
Sorry, but that is a very bad idea, as you know pop3 and ftp passwords not really passwords.
> -but how to send emails with smtp - ok webmail is good - but
> tell a 50 years old staffmember to now use this webmail
> instead of his outlook - forget it.
I agree completely

> so i have a problem - i don't want to open my smtp port so
> everyone can send emails over my server - what can i do?
Where is the problem

SOLUTION:
If you use Outlook so I guess it runs on any Windows system. Take an SSH client (I use TTSSH for Terraterm) and install it on every client. Generate an RSA key on your E-Smith Server for each client and set up portforwarding on each client.

Then you are able to use every service through this encrypted SSH tunnel as you're on your home site network. Even ftp is encrypted and you can enable compression on the tunnel for faster transmissions.

The usage is quite simple:
You log in to your ISP whereever you are. Start the configured TTSSH client which logs on without prompting for a password if you generated RSA login keys. Then you start Outlook which is permanently configured for POP3 and SMTP Server : 127.0.0.1 or 'localhost'.
 

Disadvantage:
If you use Outlook feature to sync Contacts or Calender entries by sending emails between the clients, the emails get not sended through the tunnel. And I don't know why.
 
To generate the RSA keys I have a German step by step how-to for my own. To setup TTSSH and Terraterm I can provide my command line and the setup file if you like.

Michael Jung

[try2break]

I second the notion of setting up the new VPN service in e-smith 4.1.1