Re: pop3/imap server - possibly stupid question

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Am So, den 15.08.2004 schrieb Samuel Sieb um 5:31:

> Ian Laurie wrote:
> > Am I correct in thinking you cannot retrieve root's email
> > remotely from a Linux box using pop3 or imap, even when APOP 
> > authentication is active?
> > 
> > It would make sense I suppose, my pop3 server works for
> > all users except root.
> > 
> On most current systems, root can't even get email, it gets redirected 
> to another user.  What mail server and pop server are you using?

That is a bit curious and misleading answer. Of course root van get
email.

The reason why root can not contact and read mail using POP3 or IMAP is
a security reason. The same reason why root is not permitted to login on
FTP. Classically the authentication data is transmitted in plain text to
the POP3/IMAP server and so this sensible data - we are speaking of root
- can easily be sniffed. root is an administrative account and no user
account, so let root only do those jobs for which he/she is there.

The part of Samuel's answer is correct where he points to the fact, that
you should redirect the mail for root to a normal user account by
aliasing it. This is done in the /etc/aliases file, which already
contains a prepared and commented entry. Set a proper alias and then run
"newaliases" to make the change active. Now new mail for root is
delivered to the normal user account and can be read using any POP3/IMAP
client.

Alexander


-- 
Alexander Dalloz | Enger, Germany | GPG key 1024D/ED695653 1999-07-13
Fedora GNU/Linux Core 2 (Tettnang) kernel 2.6.7-1.494.2.2smp 
Serendipity 05:51:18 up 10 days, 23:18, load average: 0.34, 0.47, 0.31 

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