Member Avatar for UrbanKhoja

Hi All

(Sorry if this is the wrong place, it's an odd question so couldn't think where else!)

I need to setup email alerts on a Cathexis CCTV Server which runs NetBSD and Cathexis' Cat6000 software. However, it only gives the option for address and smtp (nothing else), and our corporate domain is too long for it to read.

So I'm looking for a free email provider that doesn't require SSL and will work without any other settings?

Sounds daft I know

Any help is greatly appreciated

Darren

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by CimmerianX

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the short answer in 2025 is that reputable public mail providers no longer accept unauthenticated, cleartext SMTP from random clients. Even if you find one, deliverability will be awful. The pragmatic fix is what hinted at: put a tiny SMTP relay on your LAN that accepts the DVR’s plain SMTP on port 25 and then submits with TLS and auth to a real provider on 587 or 465. This aligns with modern guidance to use TLS for submission. See RFC 8314 for why cleartext submission is considered obsolete. RFC 8314

A minimal Postfix relay example (run on any small BSD/Linux box or VM). Lock it to the DVR’s IP so it is not an open relay:

# /etc/postfix/main.cf
myhostname = alert-relay.local
mydestination =
inet_interfaces = all
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8, 192.0.2.50/32     # DVR IP
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks, reject_unauth_destination

relayhost = [smtp.yourprovider.com]:587
smtp_tls_security_level = encrypt
smtp_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtp_sasl_password_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
smtp_sasl_security_options = noanonymous
# optional: rewrite a too-long sender to a shorter alias you own
# smtp_generic_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/generic

Then:

  • Point the CCTV to the relay’s IP on port 25.
  • Firewall inbound SMTP to only the DVR.
  • Use a sender in a domain you control; if you rewrite, keep SPF/DKIM in mind for alignment.
  • Watch /var/log/maillog to confirm TLS and auth to the upstream.

NetBSD already ships with Postfix, so you can use a NetBSD host for this if convenient. Postfix is the default MTA and is configured via /etc/postfix/main.cf and /etc/postfix/master.cf. afterboot(8) For patterns like this relay or a null-client, Postfix’s standard examples are invaluable. Postfix standard configuration examples

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Member Avatar for jingda

Welcome back darrenw89, although i do not know you:D Sorry, i have never heard of Email that are capable to send mails with SSl authentication.

Edited by jingda because: n/a
Member Avatar for VernonDozier

>> Sorry if this is the wrong place, it's an odd question so couldn't think where else!

Networking forum? Not sure. Maybe you should flag your own post as a bad post and ask the mods to move it to wherever they think appropriate.


>> So I'm looking for a free email provider that doesn't require SSL and will work without any other settings?

I'm not sure any of the big ones want to deal with SSL-less e-mail anymore. The war is over. The spammers won. We're all stuck with SSL now. Whether you can set it up to use it WITHOUT SSL is one issue. Whether, assuming you can, the e-mails ever get to the OTHER end without being rejected is another. We've all worked places where there's some default filter that we can't seem to overcome. So if you find a way to do it, then send an SSL-less e-mail on the wrong port or whatever to, say, Yahoo Mail, there's a damn good chance it'll never get there. Ditto most ISP email accounts. If it's all internal, well that gives you a lot more options.


>> Sounds daft I know

It's not daft. I don't know if it's feasible though, at least not for "normal" e-mail use. If you're interested in the Server-Side script approach, you can likely mail it through your website by using a PHP script or a Perl script or whatever, but that requires at least a little programming where you POST the contents to the script, then PHP mails it.

As far as how to configure the actual e-mail server to allow it, no clue. I've always avoided learning about them in the theory that if I ever learn how they work, I'll be drafted into maintaining it.

Edited by VernonDozier because: n/a
Member Avatar for UrbanKhoja

Thanks for the response, some very good points there.

Due to the software it's running I can't run any other scripts etc, which is a shame.

So really just looking for a free email provider that doesn't require SSL

Darren

Member Avatar for dsw7

One of my friends also had this problem with her business software. I came here, among other places, trying to help her. In the end, she said that an email address from www.zazzoweb.com "worked like a charm"... and it isn't free, but it is very cheap.

When the email is set up, it is automatically configured:

WITH SSL: POP3 Port 995 / SMTP Port 465

AND

WITHOUT SSL: POP3 Port 110 / SMTP Ports 80, 3535, 25

I hope this helps the next person looking for answers.

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

Solution is easy. You need to run a server with Postfix. Setup postfix to accept SMTP traffic and relay all traffic outbound to your ISP using the SSL that you should be using.

I have this setup at my home. My DVR only sends SMTP on port 25. So I have it send all alerts to a local server running POSTFIX which then turns around and relays the message out to my ISP on the encrypted port. Works like a charm.

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