SMTP Mail Server Authentication

The outgoing mail (SMTP) server provided by IT Services can be used for sending email from both on and off-campus, but off-campus, it requires users to 'authenticate' to the server with a username and password. To protect the username and password it is also necessary to have a 'secure connection' using protocols known as Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Do I need to use SMTP authentication?

No if:

• you only send email when on-campus
• you use the college Webmail service to read and send email.
• you send email from off-campus by first connecting via a college dial-up account.
• you send email from off-campus by connecting to the internet using a commercial ISP and are able to use that ISP's own SMTP server.

Yes if:

• you want to send email from off-campus by connecting to the internet using a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) but the ISP will not allow you, or you do not want to use their SMTP server.

How do I set up SMTP authentication?

If you do need to use SMTP authentication, for example, if you want to use the same laptop computer at home and at work without changing settings:

• Firstly, find out if you have a valid user name for central computer services:
  
  If you are a member of staff or a postgraduate research student with:
  • a central imap mailbox
    or
  • a UNIX account on alpha or iota that has been accessed within the last year and has a 'staff-style' username beginning with 3 or 4 letters
    or
  • if you have registered for central services since June 2001

  or

• if you are an undergraduate or taught postgraduate with a Student Service account,

then you will already have a username and password suitable for SMTP authentication.

If none of the above applies to you, then you will need to contact IT Services (room W209, Queens' Building). Users with student-style usernames (two letters followed by 4 or 5 digits) will need to re-register, but, if you are an undergraduate you will not normally be able to use the authenticated service.

• Once you have a valid username and password, you need to set up your mail program to use SMTP server authentication and secure connections. The latest versions of most email clients (at least on Windows operating systems) support this. If you are using older versions, you may have to upgrade.

  For PC users, the following mail clients support server authentication and secure connections:

• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Pegasus 4.21c
• Outlook Express 5.5 and 6.0
• Eudora 5.1 to 7
• PC Pine 4.44

For Mac users, the choice is limited and those below are the only ones so far tested and proved to work:

• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Eudora 5.1 (on MacOS 9 or later)
• Apple Mail (on MacOS X)

Troubleshooting

Two common problems when attempting to set up SMTP Authentication on the college smtp server are:

• SMTP port numbers.

  Some ISPs (including the College's Halls and wireless networks) will block outbound traffic on the default SMTP port (25) or divert it to their own servers. If you find this to be the case you can try changing the port number in the SMTP settings of your email client either to 587 or 465.

• Anti-Virus Software and Secure Connections

  Please note that some virus-checking programs, for example Norton's, may cause problems when making secure (SSL or TLS) connections to an SMTP server and you may find it necessary to turn off the automatic checking of outgoing mail.