RE: [cobalt-users] Relay Denied Errors RaQ3i

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Would be great if it worked...

see more below...

At 04:03 PM 1/30/00  Joe Kerns wrote:

> I would continue to recommend to everyone to do as the big ISPs and 
> require users
> to use their ISPs SMTP server.

Not totally true.  Most big hosting companies require their users to use 
their ISPs SMTP server for outgoing mail, but DO let their users receive 
mail through their own POP3 server.

>  This will allow you to avoid all these problems.

At the expense of causing problems, and losing customers.

> The standard response is "But, I want my clients to be able to use their email
> address with their domain."  They still can.  You set up a forward to 
> their email
> address with their ISP (i.e. - joe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx is forwarded to
> jkerns@xxxxxxxxxx)

Yes, you can do this.  You can even advertise "unlimited" forwards. But 
then you'll lose business to companies who advertise "pop3 boxes" or even 
"unlimited pop3 boxes". It's your choice of course.  I care a lot about 
security, and believe me, I maintain it as well as it can be 
maintained.  But I do NOT limit my users ability to have POP3 boxes on my 
mail servers.  Nor do I need to.

> Then in their email client they specify in their identity as
> joe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and it appears that the mail comes from their domain, 
> when in
> reality it is coming from their ISP.

This works sometimes, for some ISPs.  And should work all the time for all 
ISPs.  But it doesn't.  The sad fact is that lots of big and small ISPs 
don't let users do this.  <gte.net>, for example, doesn't allow your email 
out if you use anything but your <gte.net> address.  One local southern 
California provider automatically rewrites your header to 
youracctname@xxxxxxxx no matter what you put into the field.

Both of these behaviors are broken, of course.  But they do create 
problems.  We do allow users to use our mail server for outgoing 
mail.  Using POP3 authentication before SMTP.

> This works out great (I used myself as an example, so I know this to be 
> FACT). I
> have 1 box to check, yet I have the advantage of using my domain in my email
> address.

It works great for you.  It may or may not work great for all your 
prospects.  If I can give my customers what they want WITHOUT compromising 
security, I'm not loathe to do so.

> I would highly recommend this to avoid any potential "Spam" holes with 
> relaying.

And I heartily recommend my services to the customers you can't take 
because of your limitations <wry grin>.

Jeff

--
Jeff Lasman, nobaloney.net
<jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<www.nobaloney.net>, <www.mailtraqna.com>, <www.email-lists.com>