Re: TWO WEEK LAST CALL: Regularizing Port Numbers for SSL

Eric Murray wrote:
> The biggest drawback to seperate assigned ports for the TLS versions
> of N services is the limited port number space below 1024.
> Is there any reason (other than convention) for using port
> numbers under 1024?  I know some filtering router "firewalls"
> will need to be re-programmed, but other than that small problem
> why not use ports over 1024?

Ports below 1024 are treated differently under unix-like systems: only
root can initiate services on these ports[1], thus the operating system
provides for some protection against a user on the system trying to subvert
services - important particularly in the context of "secure" services.

-- 
Robert.Goodwin@mcc.ac.uk 

[1]gross oversimplification, but adequate in the circumstances I think :-)

Received on Thursday, 6 February 1997 06:00:42 UTC