Re: [gentoo-user] Fake IMAP -> Real IMAP

[Mick]

On Tuesday 12 February 2008, Grant wrote:

> > Can you please ssh to your box and run an nmap from your box
> > (locally)?  This will answer if smtp and imap are running and if they
> > are being filtered by your isp.  I'm not sure if someone mentioned
> > before but imap might not be configured to listen on anything besides
> > 127.0.0.1.  I wouldn't be surprised if Cox filters 25, but nmapping
> > locally will shed some light on it.
>
> I did this and nmap reports smtp is open and no ports are filtered.
> So those filtered ports are all Cox-filtered I guess.

You can always ring them and ask them.  Or email them first.  Either way read 
the small print in ToS and quote it to them to cut down wasted hours of 
communication with inept helpdesk staff.  Your argument ought to be:  please 
open port(s) 1,2,3 . . . for these IP addresses for me only, thank you.  No?  
You can't?  Can I please speak to your manager?

If you articulate your requirement clearly and elevate it to a person 
authorised to deal with such a request you stand a better chance of 
succeeding.  If they try to fob you off with "open a business account if you 
want such a service, sir" cut them short and say that you are not running a 
business, that sending your personal mail is *not* a "business service" and 
therefore they ought to redefine it in their unreasonable ToS, and that you 
are not an anonymous spammer but a registered user of their network.  
Essentially, you are asking them to circumvent a firewall security policy.  
Be polite but firm.  BTW, blocking all and sundry from sending spam is 
A_Good_Thing(TM), but if they want to be more intelligent about it they 
should find a way of blocking all the darned owned MSWindows botnets out 
there that make the US No.1 in spam generated traffic.
-- 
Regards,
Mick