port question

[Bill Campbell]

On Sun, Aug 23, 2009, Tony Alfrey wrote:
> Bill Campbell wrote:
>
>>
>> Some ISPs/broadband providers also restrict outgoing port 25
>> traffic to their own servers, 
>
> This is what comcast does to me.  I specifically told them "I am not  
> using your SMTP server for outgoing mail".  They said "Yes, but we block  
> all packets with Port 25 ID in the packet header".  This turned out to  
> be a big hassle for our tenant who used a web hosting service and mail  
> server that did *not* accept port 587.  We had to set her up with an  
> outgoing mail server on earthlink (or comcast would have worked) so she  
> could send mail, rather than using the smtp server on her web hosting  
> service.
>
>> and may restrict the Sender/From
>> addresses to ones in their domain.  It this case it really helps
>> to have a co-operative site that you can connect to on some port
>> other than 25 that the ISP is not trapping if you want to send
>> with other domains in the Sender/From address.  Think of this as
>> a smart-host that will accept all mail from your system, and
>> relay it to the Internet.
>
> A big goal for "us" is to have one port configuration for the outgoing  
> mail so that it works everywhere:  at home w/ comcast, or at a wireless  
> hot spot with some unknown broadband service (around here, usually 
> comcast).

I have our laptops set to send via a server on our 192.168.253.0/24
internal network through an OpenVPN connection when off-site, and directly
when on the LAN.  We have our own T1 via Integra with a publi /24 network
so don't have to deal with Comcast or other broadband providers.  We have
several customers on Comcast or other networks who route incoming and
outgoing mail through our servers, bypassing the provider's blocks.

Bill
-- 
INTERNET:   bill at celestial.com  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/  PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
Voice:          (206) 236-1676  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820
Fax:            (206) 232-9186  Skype: jwccsllc (206) 855-5792

It is necessary for the welfare of society that genius should be
privileged to utter sedition, to blaspheme, to outrage good taste, to
corrupt the youthful mind, and generally to scandalize one's uncles.
    -- George Bernard Shaw