[TriLUG] Open mail relays?

[Chris Merrill]

Jeff Bollinger wrote:
> Check out http://www.abuse.net/relay.html

Tried it...all tests passed!  Very nice tool.

> to see if your system may be vulnerable.  A relay is basically a mail 
> server that is left wide open for spammers to route (relay) tons of spam 
> through your host in order to hide where their mail is actually coming 
> from.  Having an open mail relay will make you some enemies very 
> quickly!  ;)

Ok...so now I think I understand what an open relay is.
Why would an open e-mail relay on _my_ server have _any_
effect on RR mail servers?  I can understand that it might
affect bandwidth - if someone is flooding spam through my
open relay and using lots of bandwidth to do it.  By I
don't see the connection between bandwidth and RR's
constant e-mail problems.  I don't have any bandwidth
problems...but I constantly have slow e-mail access.

What am I missing?

*********************************
Chris Merrill
cmerrill at nc.rr.com
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