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SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the protocol used to send e-mail across the Internet. Normally, SMTP servers only allow users within their own domain (e.g., oberlin.edu) to relay mail through them.

SMTP authentication is a way of allowing Oberlin College account holders to authenticate their identity when sending e-mail, even while not on campus. This eliminates issues of people sending email from off-campus using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than Oberlin College's. Users will no longer need to change their SMTP server to that of their ISP, or worry that mail sent to other Oberlin accounts will be quarantined.

When using OCMail, the name of the outgoing smtp server must be changed to smtp.gmail.com. See server info on the CIT Wiki for details.

Without SMTP authentication, people who send messages to other Oberlin College recipients from outside the oberlin.edu domain (say, from their home ISP) may find that our spam filter has mistaken their message for spam. If the spam filter sees a message from an oberlin.edu address but through a different SMTP server, it guesses the message is is being sent from someone who has "spoofed" the user's email address and, thus, quarantines the message.

With SMTP authentication, one logs in using a valid Oberlin email account username and password. In that way, the username is "authenticated" by the SMTP server and the message goes through.

All major e-mail client programs (OSX Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook etc.) support SMTP authentication. (Webmail programs, such as ObieMail do not require SMTP authentication.)

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Login provides encryption for your username and password as you log in, and thus provides extra security. SSL does not encrypt the messages themselves, only your login information.

We recommend all users enable both SMTP authentication and SSL login if their mail clients support them. The links below provide instructions on enabling these for some of the more popular mail programs.

SMTP Authentication and SSL Login for Mac OSX Mail

SMTP Authentication and SSL Login for Thunderbird

SMTP Authentication and SSL Login for Microsoft Outlook

SMTP Authentication and SSL Login for Microsoft Outlook Express

Note: Outlook and Outlook Express are generally unsupported by CIT.