[lug] question about webmail

[Hugh Brown]

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, Zan Lynx wrote:

> 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>
>


It should be easy to detect whether or not they are blowing smoke.  Check
the url for the webmail for 2095.  If it's not there (they may be using
mod_rewrite or redirection), then do a netstat -vant|grep 2095 after you
have connected to email and you should see something turn up.

Hugh