Very Computer

I am trying to set up my linux machine to fetch mail from my ISP and
then allow access from the network. I have got fetchmail working -
very easy. Now I need a POP3 server to allow access to it from my
other machines. I have installed imap-2000c which appears only to work
through inetd. I can not get it to answer port 110 otherwise.

Since I only want to run a small number of services I would rather
have the daemons running continuously rather than being launched by
inetd (or xinetd) so I do not have these on the system and I don't
want to install them *just* to run ipop3d on demand. My server works
very nicely as it is and I would rather make the minimum possible
changes, beside which many security books advise against running inetd
unless it is essential. Is there any way of making ipop3d run as a
daemon (the man page hasn't been updated since 1992!) or can anyone
suggest an alternative basic pop3 server that can do so?

Thanks in advance.

Mark A

Quote:> I am trying to set up my linux machine to fetch mail from my ISP and
> then allow access from the network. I have got fetchmail working -
> very easy. Now I need a POP3 server to allow access to it from my
> other machines. I have installed imap-2000c which appears only to work
> through inetd. I can not get it to answer port 110 otherwise.

gnu-pop3d is a simple little POP3 server. I've been using it without
problems, and from the man page it does have a -d(aemon) mode.

--
http://www.pc-tools.net/
Windows, Linux & UNIX software

On Sat, 29 Dec 2001 19:50:17 GMT,

Quote:>Is there any way of making ipop3d run as a
> daemon (the man page hasn't been updated since 1992!) or can anyone
> suggest an alternative basic pop3 server that can do so?

In general, access to many services can be controlled better if you
run them out of inetd+tcp_wrappers, or better yet, (x|b)inetd.

I don't know if ipop3d can be run as a daemon.  However, Qualcomm's
version of Berkeley popper (qpopper), available from ftp.qualcomm.com,
can be run either as a daemon, or out of (x|b)inetd.

Later,
Ashok
--
Ashok Aiyar
RLU #51601

Ashok Aiyar wrote

Quote:>>Is there any way of making ipop3d run as a
>> daemon (the man page hasn't been updated since 1992!) or can anyone
>> suggest an alternative basic pop3 server that can do so?

>In general, access to many services can be controlled better if you
>run them out of inetd+tcp_wrappers, or better yet, (x|b)inetd.
>Later,
>Ashok

Thanks for the advice Ashok. If I can't find something that fits the
bill I'll have a play with xinetd. It's either that or give up!

Why is running (x)inetd a good idea? Surely TCP wrappers works even
when services run continuously. I certainly seem to remember being
unable to get ssh running without altering hosts.allow.

Mark

Thanks, I'll try it. I did actually look for it before trying imap
(since small and efficient sounds good when my ISP doesn't provide
imap). I think I searched rpmfind for "gnupop3d" rather than
"gnu-pop3d".

Mark

On Sat, 29 Dec 2001 21:47:45 GMT,

Quote:> Ashok Aiyar wrote
> Thanks for the advice Ashok. If I can't find something that fits the
> bill I'll have a play with xinetd. It's either that or give up!

As I said in my previous message, Qualcomm's qpopper can certainly
be run directly as a daemon.  However, to the best of my knowledge,
it does not have internal support for tcp_wrappers (i.e. cannot
be linked against libwrap).  You can download qpopper from this URL:
ftp://ftp.qualcomm.com/eudora/servers/unix/popper

Quote:> Why is running (x)inetd a good idea? Surely TCP wrappers works even
> when services run continuously. I certainly seem to remember being
> unable to get ssh running without altering hosts.allow.

Perhaps the version of sshd you are running has internal support
for tcp_wrappers.  Most other daemons do not.  Even when an application
has internal tcp_wrappers support, the sophistication of access control
offered by xinetd (or even the lesser known binetd) exceed the control
offered by tcp_wrappers.  For more information, take a look at the
xinetd feature-list at http://www.xinetd.org

Binetd is described at: http://www.engarde.com/~mcn/binetd/

Regards,
Ashok
--
Ashok Aiyar
RLU #51601