Kevin, Here's an excerpt from RFC 1734:
------ BEGIN ----- 2. The AUTH command AUTH mechanism [ ...stuff deleted ...] Restrictions: may only be given in the AUTHORIZATION state Discussion: The AUTH command indicates an authentication mechanism to the server. If the server supports the requested authentication mechanism, it performs an authentication protocol exchange to authenticate and identify the user. Optionally, it also negotiates a protection mechanism for subsequent protocol interactions. If the requested authentication mechanism is not supported, the server [ ...stuff deleted ...] The server is not required to support any particular authentication mechanism, nor are authentication mechanisms required to support any protection mechanisms. If an AUTH command fails with a negative response, the session remains in the AUTHORIZATION state and client may try another authentication mechanism by issuing another AUTH command, or may attempt to authenticate by using the USER/PASS or APOP commands. In other words, the client may request authentication types in decreasing order of preference, with the USER/PASS or APOP command as a last resort. Should the client successfully complete the authentication exchange, the POP3 server issues a positive response and the POP3 session enters the TRANSACTION state. ------ END ----- So it would seem that your POP client supports the AUTH mechanism and is "testing" to see if the server supports it (which it doesn't according to the log messages). Regards, Bob ------------------------------------------------------------------------ should reject the AUTH command by sending a negative response. ---------- > From: Kevin Traas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: debian-user@lists.debian.org > Subject: QPopper Problem > Date: Wednesday, July 30, 1997 6:14 PM > > > I'm using QPopper on my Linux box. No problems there. However, I'm getting > the following in my /var/log/messages file: > > Jul 30 14:22:17 inetgw in.qpopper[28372]: @training2: -ERR Unknown command: > "auth". > > inetgw is the name of my Linux box. > training2 is the name of the system running the POP client. > > Things seem to be working okay; however, the message is a little > disconcerting. > > Any ideas? > > Kevin Traas Baan Business Systems > Systems Analyst Langley, BC, Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (604) 882-8169 > > > > -- > TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] . > Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
