Linux server network Running Apache Proxy: Win98 client cant access external mail account

[Steve Auch-Schwelk]

I have a Redhat 7.1 Linux server running an Apache WebServer, with proxy enabled (And tomcat, but this should be irrelevant) to a DSL connection. Over my local network, I have a Win98 client, which seems to work just fine through the proxy. Internet access etc. is OK.
I would like to automatically download my external (yahoo) mail through Outlook Express, but cannot get access.
I have tried 1) disabeling all firewall security on my server, 2) installing the masquerading, 3) installing another mail server , and lots of other little things....
I think there is something basic that I am missing here. I don't care about local user mail accounts, so I presume my sendmail (or whatever: I have installed qmail as well) is irrelevant.
Any idea why I cant download external mails???

[Eugen Cocalea]

Hi,

I don't use Yahoo mail too often, but this is what I think about it: Yahoo is a bussiness that is based on commercials. Downloading your emails by any other way than visiting their pages is money loss. So I suppose they just don't offer IMAP/POP3 access so it's theorethically impossible for one to download emails from it.

E.

[Eugen Cocalea]

Hi,

sorry, I checked and they offer pop3 access. I couldn't make it work so far, but I am still trying :)

E.

[Steve Auch-Schwelk]

They offer POP allright. I've been using it through a dedicated connection and downloading through OE6 for a while now.
The address are pop.mail.yahoo.com
smtp.mail.yahoo.com
I just cant seem to get to it through my network.

[Marco Paganini]

Hello Steve,

Yahoo mail allows you to read/send email thru a web based interface (that should work fine with your web browser + proxy) or thru pop3/smtp (using a regular mail client).

Your proxy is probably just a web proxy, meaning that only browsers will be able to use it. To use your regular email client, you have some options, but I'd say the easiest ones are:

1) Use iptables to add masquerading to your server (allow connections from your internal net to mail.yahoo.com ports 110 and 25)

2) Create an account on your linux server that fetches the mail using fetchmail every 5 minutes. Then, point your mail client pop settings to your Linux box (requires a user with the same name on your Linux box and a few extras).

Hope it helped,
Paga

[Steve Auch-Schwelk]

Problem Solved.
I thought it might be something "simple", and it was. My apache configuration was fine, my Masquerading was fine, my proxy server was fine, my sendmail was irrelevant.
Problem lay in the client. My provider had changed/extended their DNS server. The old DNS number was still working but only to limited sites. (Great idea what?)I hate the way these things can eat up days of your life !

I'll post details for those who have the same problem/provider. My provider is t-online. Old DNS 194.25.2.129. New DNS: 194.25.2.132