Re: Question about [CalMail] SSL failure on Mac OS X [10.3]

Hi Dan,

   (I'm copying the MAGNet list on this issue, as it's likely to be of
widespread interest.)

>I'm working with someone ... who went ahead and did the early
>migration to CalMail from UCLink. In a nutshell, he can only send
>and receive mail if SSL is turned off. If he does turn on SSL before
>trying to send or receive, the task status window flies by as usual
>without displaying an error message, but messages to be sent stay in
>the queued state and no new messages are pulled down from the server
>... he is using Mac OS 10.3.2 with Eudora 6.0.1.
>
>For now, we've turned off SSL so that he can continue to send and
>recive mail. Have you had experience with what can cause Eudora's
>SSL to fail in this context?

   Yes, we've seen this issue as well. The presumed cause and a
suggested workaround is provided below.

Background
----------
The documentation for configuring email programs -- such as Eudora,
Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape/Mozilla, and Mail for Mac OS X --
for use with the new campus email system, CalMail, encourage enabling
SSL/TLS encryption for email connections.

   Doing so will protect users' email passwords from being intercepted
and also offers privacy for email communications between client and
server.

   However, for some -- not all -- Macintosh 6.0.x Eudora users
running under Mac OS X 10.3 ("Panther"), SSL/TLS encrypted
connections appear to fail silently. No error messages appear, but
mail is neither received nor sent.

Suggested cause
---------------
QUALCOMM claims that Mac OS X 10.3 has a bug which prevents Eudora
from adding an initial certificate to the Keychain.

Proposed workaround
-------------------
Assuming this is accurate, and unless/until Apple fixes this bug in
Mac OS X 10.3, please try QUALCOMM's suggested workaround -- which
worked for us -- at:

     "Connecting to an SSL server using Eudora on Panther"
     Document ID: 2492HQ
     http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/kb/2492hq.html

   As an alternative, you can do exactly what you did for this user:
leave SSL/TLS encryption for sending and receiving mail in Eudora
turned off (which is Eudora's default configuration), or turn it off
if you've already enabled it.

   This information will be added to CalMail's Eudora for Mac
configuration instructions and (forthcoming) troubleshooting
instructions. It's odd that none of us, nor any of the CalMail pilot
testers, found or reported this problem until just recently. (Rob
Johnson reported a similar or identical problem earlier this week,
but we didn't explore it with him in depth, since we were pursuing a
more general problem with him.)

   If you have any further information you'd like to share regarding
this issue, please follow-up with CalMail consulting at
<consult@berkeley.edu>.

Aron Roberts
Workstation Software Support Group

At 21:16 -0800 2004-01-15, CalMail Consulting wrote:
>Hi Dan,
>
>I had another user with the same problem, also running 10.3. I am
>able to access using 10.2 with Eudora 6, so it sounds like an issue
>with 10.3.
>
>I have forwarded your message to the testers for investigation.
>
>-Bernie Tower
> Calmail Consulting
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>I'm working with someone in MCB who went ahead and did the early
>>migration to CalMail from UCLink. In a nutshell, he can only send
>>and receive mail if SSL is turned off. If he does turn on SSL
>>before trying to send or receive, the task status window flies by
>>as usual without displaying an error message, but messages to be
>>sent stay in the queued state and no new messages are pulled down
>>from the server. His account, if you need it, is tlaverty@uclink
>>and he is using Mac OS 10.3.2 with Eudora 6.0.1.
>>
>>For now, we've turned off SSL so that he can continue to send and
>>recive mail. Have you had experience with what can cause Eudora's
>>SSL to fail in this context?
>>
>>Thank you,
>>
>>Dan Percival
>>MCB Computer Help
>>mcbhelp@ls / x3-5294

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Received on Fri Jan 16 13:07:30 2004