[Simh] VMS TCP/IP?

[Jeremy Begg]

Hello Paul,

>I've successfully started SMTP using option 2 (clients) in
>tcpip$config.com, and I can send and receive internet emails (up to a
>point). I can send successfully to two of my three domains (paulhardy.net,
>hardy.demon.co.uk), but if I try and send to my current primary email at
>verizon.net (pghardy at ...), then I get an error 550 saying SMTP command
>error. Any ideas? I wonder if it is related to the fact that when originally
>configuring the verizon.net account in Outlook Express I had to enable the
>toggle for "account requires authentication", and provide username and
>password. Is there a VMS equivalent?

The standard SMTP services shipped with TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS,
MultiNet and TCPware all fail to provide this functionality.  What you're
after is called Authenticated SMTP and to the best of my knowledge there are
no SMTP clients for OpenVMS which do it.  (PMDF from Process Software will
do authenticated SMTP for incoming emails but I don't think there is an
option to do so on the outgoing side, mainly because the username and
password would have to be stored in a file somewhere.)

One way you might do this is to find yourself a friendly ISP who is willing
to devise a mechanism whereby your emulated VAX is recognised as a "trusted"
client and thereby allow emails to be accepted from the VAX.  The way we've
solved this problem with one of our customers was to have them use an SSH
tunnel from their VAX to our servers, and then do port forwarding on port 25
over the SSH connection.  (Yes, we are such an ISP as I referred to above. 
But I'm afraid to say I have enough "free" users already and I'm unwilling
to provide any more free services at this time.)

Regards,

        Jeremy Begg
	Managing Director

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