[lug] question about webmail

[Zan Lynx]

On Wed, 2005-07-13 at 16:55 -0600, Paul E Condon wrote:
> My ISP allows me to set up email accounts on one of his servers and
> to access them via the web using squirrelmail. I have set up such an
> account for one of my daughters and checked it out and it works for
> me, but not for her. I ask ISP support people and they suggest that
> servers at her place of work have blocked port 2095 which they say
> is used for web access to the email files. I wonder. Why is a special
> port needed just to have web access to files on the server. I know
> port 25 is used for SMTP, but to access your own email ...
> 
> I don't have any special knowledge of email protocols. Does what I
> am being told make sense? If no, where can I read stuff that will
> enable me to argue with them effectively?
> 
> TIA
> 
> PS port 2095 is listed as being assigned to 'NBX SER'. What is that?
> 

Web mail often uses a different port so that it does not conflict with
ordinary web servers or so that a traffic redirector can send web mail
traffic to a different server than regular web pages.

There is no official port for web mail, so ISPs often just pick one.

The reason her workplace might be blocking it is to kill Windows worm
and trojan programs that try to contact servers for new updates and
instructions.  They might also do it to prevent their employees from
using their network for anything but approved work.

If her IT people at work are friendly sorts, she could ask about it and
see what they say.  They might open the port for her.
-- 
Zan Lynx <zlynx at acm.org>
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