Bug 70463 - when configuring account : imap port not detected correctly
Summary: when configuring account : imap port not detected correctly
Status: RESOLVED NOT A BUG
Alias: None
Product: kmail
Classification: Unmaintained
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Gentoo Packages Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: kdepim bugs
URL:
Keywords:
: 70464 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2003-12-15 03:02 UTC by Arnaud Burlet
Modified: 2007-09-14 12:17 UTC (History)
0 users

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Description Arnaud Burlet 2003-12-15 03:02:12 UTC
Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.1.94)
Installed from:    Gentoo Packages
Compiler:          gcc 3.2.3 gcc version 3.2.3 20030422 (Gentoo Linux 1.4 3.2.3-r3, propolice)
OS:          Linux

I configured 2 imap accounts in kmail :

- first on a kolab server, only imaps port (993) is accessible (143 blocked by firewall).
 When I configure this account, I choose the tab security, and click "Check what the server supports", ssl is selected. And when I go back to the general tab port 993 is configured instead of 143, perfect !

- second imap account, both ports 143 and 993 are accessible. I configure the host, and under the security tab choose "check what ..." : TLS is choosed with PLAIN authentication method. Back to the general tab, port 143 is still there as the port to be used.

with that setup, kmail can't access my mails in the 2nd account an shows error "Starting TLS failed".

I think that if TLS is choosed by the user, port should be automatically changed into 993. Even if both ports are accessible.

BTW, when clearing the port field and clicking "OK", port is set to 0, couldn't it be better ?
Comment 1 Ingo Klöcker 2003-12-15 17:45:57 UTC
Sorry, but TLS uses port 143 and not 993. 993 is only used by IMAP over SSL (aka imaps). The standard port for IMAP over TLS is the standard imap port (143) and not the imaps port (993). See below.
If your server is misbehaving then you can't blame KMail for that.

FYI, I quote from RFC 2595 (Using TLS with IMAP, POP3 and ACAP)
<quote>
7. imaps and pop3s ports

   Separate "imaps" and "pop3s" ports were registered for use with SSL.
   Use of these ports is discouraged in favor of the STARTTLS or STLS
   commands.
   A number of problems have been observed with separate ports for
   "secure" variants of protocols.  This is an attempt to enumerate some
   of those problems.

   - Separate ports lead to a separate URL scheme which intrudes into
     the user interface in inappropriate ways.  For example, many web
     pages use language like "click here if your browser supports SSL."
     This is a decision the browser is often more capable of making than
     the user.

   - Separate ports imply a model of either "secure" or "not secure."
     This can be misleading in a number of ways.  First, the "secure"
     port may not in fact be acceptably secure as an export-crippled
     cipher suite might be in use.  This can mislead users into a false
     sense of security.  Second, the normal port might in fact be
     secured by using a SASL mechanism which includes a security layer.
     Thus the separate port distinction makes the complex topic of
     security policy even more confusing.  One common result of this
     confusion is that firewall administrators are often misled into
     permitting the "secure" port and blocking the standard port.  This
     could be a poor choice given the common use of SSL with a 40-bit
     key encryption layer and plain-text password authentication is less
     secure than strong SASL mechanisms such as GSSAPI with Kerberos 5.

   - Use of separate ports for SSL has caused clients to implement only
     two security policies: use SSL or don't use SSL.  The desirable
     security policy "use TLS when available" would be cumbersome with
     the separate port model, but is simple with STARTTLS.

   - Port numbers are a limited resource.  While they are not yet in
     short supply, it is unwise to set a precedent that could double (or
     worse) the speed of their consumption.
</quote>
Comment 2 Ingo Klöcker 2003-12-15 17:48:18 UTC
*** Bug 70464 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***