🚀 go-pugleaf

On Monday, in article
     <20120806.1656.6snz@cj4386.demon.co.uk>
     colin@cj4386.demon.co.uk "colin may" wrote:

> > > > On Sunday, in article
> > > >      <20120805.1127.11snz@cj4386.demon.co.uk>
> > > >      colin@cj4386.demon.co.uk "colin may" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Carrying out some tests with pop3 and mail.demon.co.uk.
> > > > >
> > > > > Another problem has turned up In the last few hours. I telnet to
> > > > > mail.demon.co.uk 110 it lets me in, but the command list does
> > > > > not work.

[...]

> As far as I know, I typed in everything correctly. I'll try again just
> to make sure.
> 
> I've just tried again, result the same.
> 
> I type in:
> 
> telnet mail.demon.co.uk 110 user default mailbox pass **

Ah; I see the problem.  You have to send the "user" and "pass" POP3
commands to the server, *after* the connection is open and it has sent
you its "POP3 service is ready" message.  Putting them in the telnet
command line does nothing, because all telnet does is make the initial
connection to the server on TCP port 110: it doesn't send any data to
the server at all.  Telnet is like a dumb terminal, sending your
keystrokes to the server and displaying the server's responses on your
screen.

> When connected I get
> -OK tHE microsoft Exchange POP3 Server is ready.
> type in the command "list" and get back:
> -ERR Command is not valid in this state.

That's because the server has no idea who you are: that "list<return>"
command you sent it is the first thing it has heard from you.

The full sequence should be like this:

 1. Run the telnet command to connect to the server:

      net>telnet mail.demon.co.uk 110<enter>

 2. Wait for the telnet session to open, and the server to send its
    welcome message:

      +OK The Microsoft Exchange POP3 service is ready.

 3. Type the POP3 "user" command like this:

      user administrator@********.demon.co.uk<enter>

 4. Wait for the server's response:

      +OK

 5. Type the POP3 "pass" command like this:

      pass ********<enter>

 6. Wait for the server's response:

      +OK User successfully logged on.

 7. Now that you're logged in to the server, you can send it other POP3
    commands, like the "list" command:

      list<enter>

    then wait for the server's response, which will be something like:

      +OK 3 4934
      1 1782
      2 2907
      3 1055
      .

    indicating that you have three messages waiting, with total size
    4934 bytes; message 1 is 1782 bytes, message 2 is 2907, and message
    3 is 1055.

 8. If you wish, use the POP3 "top M B" command to see the header and the
    first B body lines of message M, e.g.:

      top 2 5<enter>	[header and first 5 body lines of message 2]

    to which the server will respond something like this:

      +OK
      Received: from smtp.demon.co.uk (192.168.70.9) by HVUT02.thus.corp
      [...snip some header lines...]
      X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthSource: HVUT02.thus.corp
      X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthAs: Anonymous
      MIME-Version: 1.0
    
      [...first five lines of message body...]
      .

    If you only want the header, ask for 0 body lines (e.g. "top 2 0").

 9. You can retrieve the whole of message M (header and body) with the
    POP3 "retr M" command, e.g.:

      retr 2<enter>	[retrieve whole of message 2]

    to which the server will respond something like this:

      +OK
      Received: from smtp.demon.co.uk (192.168.70.9) by HVUT02.thus.corp
      [...snip some header lines...]
      X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthSource: HVUT02.thus.corp
      X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthAs: Anonymous
      MIME-Version: 1.0
    
      [...snip message body...]
      .

10. Once you've finished, log out of the server by sending

      quit<enter>

    to which it will respond thus:

      +OK Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 POP3 server signing off.

Note that if you don't send anything to the server for 60 seconds, it
will time out and break the connection.

-- 
Simon Turner                                    DoD #0461
simon@twoplaces.co.uk
    Trust me -- I know what I'm doing!          -- Sledge Hammer