OK, so we established back at the beginning of this that we're only
really concerned with people using 465 for SSL submission. Let's see
how this play's out with Jeff's and Ned's most recent comments:
On 1/16/03 at 11:30 AM -0800, ned+ietf-smtp(_at_)mrochek(_dot_)com wrote:
Registering SMTPS again would only provide short-term relief
(providers would soon block it as well) at the cost of creating
standards confusion.
Exactly right. SMTPS really is a solution to a very different
problem, one that cannot be leveraged as a solution to the problem
you describe except in, as you say, the short term.
Actually, I think this might argue *in favor* of registering 465.
Right now, 465 is used for unauthenticated encrypted submission. We
don't want people using unauthenticated encrypted submission; we want
them using authenticated submission, either on port 25 or on port
587. As a matter of fact, open 465 ports mean that, for example,
spammers will have a new way to get through firewalls and spam. (And
I would not be at all shocked if there were installed SMTP
implementations with SSL-SMTP listening on port 465 without their ops
knowing about it.) Maybe 465 should be registered to, in effect,
encourage people to make sure it is turned off.
I think it's rather ostrich like to say, "No, no, no, there's nothing
at all on port 465 that looks like SMTP; we're not registering
anything there and we're not going to talk about it." I think
documenting the current state of affairs (people are submitting mail
encrypted but unauthenticated on port 465) and labelling it "Worst
Current Practice" has some hope of cutting down on it getting more
widespread and acceptable.
How we fix this is a really good question...
IMO the only way to fix it is to get the message out. We have the
solutions; they just need to be used. RIght now the problem is less
one of providers blocking SMTP submit than it is of providers not
offering submission services at all.
I don't see how that is mutually exclusive of registration.
pr
--
Pete Resnick <mailto:presnick(_at_)qualcomm(_dot_)com>
QUALCOMM Incorporated - Direct phone: (858)651-4478, Fax: (858)651-1102