Testing POP Access with Telnet The Technology Firm Tony Fortunato

Goal Or Objective I had to check a POP server to make sure that the POP application was truly operating. We couldn’t ping the server due to the routers filtering out ICMP. So I had to figure out a way to test the POP server. I didn’t want to configure my outlook client with the customers information and have their emails on my system. Then I realized I could use telnet to simulate an Email client All I had to do has look up the TCP port number for POP (110) and find out the pop server’s name or ip address. Telnet uses TCP port 23 by default, but the POP server is listening in TCP port 110. In the next slide you’ll see what commands I entered to test the POP server. Obviously the username, password and servername were changed. I changed the font color of the commands I entered.

Results From the command prompt; telnet servername 110 +OK Qpopper (version 4.0.5) at servername starting. user john.doe +OK Password required for john.doe. pass password +OK john.doe has 3 visible messages (0 hidden) in 15280 octets. stat +OK 3 15280 list +OK 3 visible messages (15280 octets) 1 1028 2 4816 3 9436 . quit +OK Pop server at servername signing off.