Re: [cobalt-users] RAQ 4 Email Relaying

[Grant Stern <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 5/31/02 11:54 PM, "cobalt-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
<cobalt-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Why don't your clients want to use their own ISP's outbound (SMTP) server?  I
> am assuming that SOMEONE provides them a connection, and can therefore
> validate the IP they are using as their own.  Whether that's AOL or anyone,
> they only need to learn how to use their email client to send email as if it
> was their domain, and put the return address at their domain as well.

  SMTP is crucial.  I use BellSouth as my home ISP and one day, out of the
blue couldn't send my mail.  I called their support, and spent a gut
wrenching half an hour with some hell bent for stupid rules support person.
After patiently explaining that I had used their open relay (hehe) for six
months and that it worked perfectly.
  Finally, she explained that they had UPGRADED their systems an hour
earlier to kill all SMTP except for bellsouth.net mail.  I don't think that
AOHell uses POP, SMTP or IMAP, instead some proprietary AOHell protocol to
send.  Not that most AOHell customers know what an email client is, let
alone a browser ('its the thing you use to look at web sites'), let alone
that AOHell isn't the entire internet!
  Nuff ranting.  Just one thing.  DON'T LEAVE YOUR RELAY OPEN.  THE PAIN IN
THE BUTT OF POP BEFORE SMTP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING YOUR IP BLOCKED
FOR MAILING AND LETTING A FLOOD OF SPAM OUT.

Wow, what a fun rant.
gs

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