AOL and Pop3

I have a client who has AOL broadband and is asking for my help
setting up email.

He has his own domain and mail centre which includes both Pop3 and
SMTP.

I have helped him set up Outlook 2000 with all the correct settings
but when he tests the connection he is getting
"554 5.7.1 (IPT:S1)http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt AOL has
identified this mail to be unsolicited bulk email."

Hmmm - AOL should not be intercepting his mail as he is using an
outside Pop3 and SMTP server.

I have no experience of AOL (naturally enough) so can anyone here tell
me if AOL prevents the use of standard Pop3 email and if there is any
way around it?

The simple "get rid of AOL" which is what I would LIKE to say is
currently not an option.

--
Warning: Do not look directly into laser with remaining eye.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:28:48 GMT, Geoffrey <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have helped him set up Outlook 2000 with all the correct settings
>but when he tests the connection he is getting

>"554 5.7.1 (IPT:S1)http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt AOL has
>identified this mail to be unsolicited bulk email."

I've just (via the remote control facility of logmein.com) checked using
port 110 to a remote server and that connected OK. I had read that AOL,
like Wanadoo/Freeserve, traps port 25 traffic, and can confirm it (their
smtp.xxxx.proxy.aol.com server name came up in the welcome message).

>Hmmm - AOL should not be intercepting his mail as he is using an
>outside Pop3 and SMTP server.

They do, and it is perhaps written into their policy, but I steer as far
away from bothering with it as I possibly can (despite a neighbour's PC
problems with it :-) Other services make allowanc. runbox.com allows
access nb poort 587 and Claranet's tenner a year mail/news account let
me use port 2525 when I last had an account. At least not using port
25 is an option on Outlook Express, and I assume also on Outlook 2000.

>The simple "get rid of AOL" which is what I would LIKE to say is
>currently not an option.

A shame, but they're not the only ones with this policy - and services can
have other policies which might make mail less convenient but are often to
combat spammers, if not bring in cash (eg in days gone by you couldn't use
a domain name unless it was hosted with BT - no idea if that is still the
case, but an unwelcome restriction in my book... almost as bad was their
'unwritten' limit at Freeserve on sending mail to multiple recipients...
it would just vanish into a black hole, so the party invitation to 30
friends would go nowhere... you'd only know if you included yourself
in the BCC list as a check). Peter M.

--
runbox.com - 1000 MB of mail storage and 100 MB for files...
30 day free trial... <http://web.vfm-deals.com/runbox/>
Can accept mail for your domain and apply filtering...
Point your MX record to mx.runbox.com and use POP/IMAP...

"poster" <us-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). net...

> At least not using port
> 25 is an option on Outlook Express, and I assume also on Outlook 2000.

Yep.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> , poster
<us-(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:28:48 GMT, Geoffrey <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>>The simple "get rid of AOL" which is what I would LIKE to say is
>>currently not an option.
>
>A shame, but they're not the only ones with this policy - and services can
>have other policies which might make mail less convenient but are often to
>combat spammers, if not bring in cash (eg in days gone by you couldn't use
>a domain name unless it was hosted with BT - no idea if that is still the
>case, but an unwelcome restriction in my book

AOL would only let you use a domain name hosted with BT ?

/boggle/
--
Ian Cummings

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:28:48 GMT, Geoffrey <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I have a client who has AOL broadband and is asking for my help
>setting up email.
>
>He has his own domain and mail centre which includes both Pop3 and
>SMTP.
>
>I have helped him set up Outlook 2000 with all the correct settings
>but when he tests the connection he is getting
>"554 5.7.1 (IPT:S1)http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt AOL has
>identified this mail to be unsolicited bulk email."
>
>Hmmm - AOL should not be intercepting his mail as he is using an
>outside Pop3 and SMTP server.

Have you read the Web page at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt ?
It's not as clear as it could be but it means that AOL intercept and
possibly block outbound TCP connects to port 25, which are used for
sending email. The page mentions that it allow outbound connects to
port 587, which may (or may not) be of use to you. It's not clear
from your posting whether you're trying to deliver outbound mail
direct to destination (in which case the port 587 concession won't be
of any use) or whether you're trying to use a remote mail relay for
outbound mail (in which case port 587 may be of use if the relay
allows it).

Incidentally, AOL's detection of your outbound mail as "unsolicited
bulk email" probably means that it contains "invalid or forged
headers, invalid or non-existent domain names" [1], so you may not
have set up Outlook 2000 in a way that generates valid email.

[1] http://postmaster.aol.com/guidelines/bulk_email.html

>I have no experience of AOL (naturally enough) so can anyone here tell
>me if AOL prevents the use of standard Pop3 email and if there is any
>way around it?

There's some confusion there. POP3 is a protocol used for retrieving
mail (on port 110) and AOL don't block that, as far as I know. Their
restrictions are on sending mail using the SMTP protocol, not
receiving it using POP3, and are designed to stop AOL users with
compromised PCs being used as spam relays.

Which, taking into account the technical ability of the average AOL
user, may not be a bad thing...

Mike.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:28:48 GMT, Geoffrey <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>
>I have a client who has AOL broadband and is asking for my help
>setting up email.
>
>He has his own domain and mail centre which includes both Pop3 and
>SMTP.
>
>I have helped him set up Outlook 2000 with all the correct settings
>but when he tests the connection he is getting
>"554 5.7.1 (IPT:S1)http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt AOL has
>identified this mail to be unsolicited bulk email."
>
>Hmmm - AOL should not be intercepting his mail as he is using an
>outside Pop3 and SMTP server.
>
>I have no experience of AOL (naturally enough) so can anyone here tell
>me if AOL prevents the use of standard Pop3 email and if there is any
>way around it?
>
>The simple "get rid of AOL" which is what I would LIKE to say is
>currently not an option.
AOl apparently monitors port 25, so if he uses a different port that
should cure the problem (used to have the same problem myself). I'm
also told that if you tell AOL what you're doing then they might
consider lifting the monitoring.

Don Carter

On 14 Aug 2005 20:27 UTC, Ian Cummings wrote:

>>have other policies which might make mail less convenient but are often to
>>combat spammers, if not bring in cash (eg in days gone by you couldn't use
>>a domain name unless it was hosted with BT - no idea if that is still the
>>case, but an unwelcome restriction in my book
>
>AOL would only let you use a domain name hosted with BT ?

>/boggle/

No, BT wouldn't let you send mail through their mail servers with a 'from'
address which was of a domain not hosted by BT. I was giving some examples
of mail policies, which make for inconvenience, and if you assumed that it was
some link between BT and AOL, what did you imagine for my Freeserve example ?

--

UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4> - Happy to save cash with Plus.Net!!

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:41:00 +0100, Mike <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>
>Have you read the Web page at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt ?

I hadn't but I have now. Thanks.

>It's not as clear as it could be but it means that AOL intercept and
>possibly block outbound TCP connects to port 25, which are used for
>sending email. The page mentions that it allow outbound connects to
>port 587, which may (or may not) be of use to you. It's not clear
>from your posting whether you're trying to deliver outbound mail
>direct to destination

No

> (in which case the port 587 concession won't be
>of any use) or whether you're trying to use a remote mail relay for
>outbound mail (in which case port 587 may be of use if the relay
>allows it).

Sadly this relay doesn't allow port 587.
>
>Incidentally, AOL's detection of your outbound mail as "unsolicited
>bulk email" probably means that it contains "invalid or forged
>headers, invalid or non-existent domain names" [1], so you may not
>have set up Outlook 2000 in a way that generates valid email.

No - it's all legit and correct. AOL just doesn't like the attempted
use of an outside SMTP server it would appear.


>Which, taking into account the technical ability of the average AOL
>user, may not be a bad thing...

I guess I see your point. It's a bit like letting Daily Mail readers
have a free vote I suppose - just asking for trouble.

I've asked him to amend the SMTP server name to aol, I'm guessing this
will work. I shall next encourage him to get a proper ISP.


Thanks for your help

--
Warning: Do not look directly into laser with remaining eye.

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:10:58 GMT, Geoffrey <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:41:00 +0100, Mike <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>Have you read the Web page at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/ipt ?
>
>I hadn't but I have now. Thanks.
>
>>It's not as clear as it could be but it means that AOL intercept and
>>possibly block outbound TCP connects to port 25, which are used for
>>sending email. The page mentions that it allow outbound connects to
>>port 587, which may (or may not) be of use to you. It's not clear
>>from your posting whether you're trying to deliver outbound mail
>>direct to destination
>
>No
>
>> (in which case the port 587 concession won't be
>>of any use) or whether you're trying to use a remote mail relay for
>>outbound mail (in which case port 587 may be of use if the relay
>>allows it).
>
>Sadly this relay doesn't allow port 587.
>>
>>Incidentally, AOL's detection of your outbound mail as "unsolicited
>>bulk email" probably means that it contains "invalid or forged
>>headers, invalid or non-existent domain names" [1], so you may not
>>have set up Outlook 2000 in a way that generates valid email.
>
>No - it's all legit and correct. AOL just doesn't like the attempted
>use of an outside SMTP server it would appear.
>
>
>>Which, taking into account the technical ability of the average AOL
>>user, may not be a bad thing...
>
>I guess I see your point. It's a bit like letting Daily Mail readers
>have a free vote I suppose - just asking for trouble.
>
>I've asked him to amend the SMTP server name to aol, I'm guessing this
>will work. I shall next encourage him to get a proper ISP.
>
>
>Thanks for your help

OK then, been here, read the book and seen the film etc ............

I have made some notes in case I have to revisit this issue again where the
end user does not wish to leave AOL for a better life. Have a look at
http://www.cyberpictures.net/aol/ and let me know if it is of any use to you.

David Bradley

On 14 Aug 2005 21:41, Mike <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>or whether you're trying to use a remote mail relay for
>outbound mail (in which case port 587 may be of use if the relay
>allows it).

runbox.com accepts mail on that port. Claranet accepts mail on 2525
as well as 25, and from AOL (I just tested) port 2525 is not blocked.

I guess Geoffrey didn't see my post at 21:01... maybe PN's outgoing
posts are sluggish to get to other news services... hardly anything
would surprise me (however, for the few quid I pay them each month,
I shouldn't complain too much - the connection works well and that
cannot be said for all services one could use! Peter Morgan.

--

UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4> - Happy to save cash with Plus.Net!!