Question: SSL via POP3 a performance killer?

[John Fox]

I'm planning my company's next mail server, and would like to get
away from using plain-text authentication for POP3 service.  It's
been suggested to me that my best bet would actually be to run POP3
over SSL, and thus simply encrypt the clear-text authentication,
and that would be good enough for me.

However, I've also been told that SSL can be very demanding of even
a very powerful computer.

This new machine will likely run an AMD XP 2600 (or if I'm lucky,
maybe even a 3X99) processor and 1G of RAM, and the OS will (obviously)
be FreeBSD, probably 4.10.  It will service approx- imately 13,000
POP3 accounts, and handle approximately 100,000 POP3 requests per
day.

Does this seem a workable setup, or does it appear that the 
system will indeed be overwhelmed by all the SSL?  

If there's further information that would be of help in answering
this question, please let me know and I will do my best to
provide it.

Thank you,

-John
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| John Fox <jjf @ mind.net>    |   System Administrator   | InfoStructure   |
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| I used to trust the media to tell me the truth, tell us the truth         |
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|             -- Queensryche, "Revolution Calling"                          |
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