[TriLUG] OT? - RR now blocking email from dynamic IPs...

Jon Carnes jonc at nc.rr.com
Mon Jun 16 21:42:50 EDT 2003


----- Original Message -----
From: "Magnus" <chrish at trilug.org>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 8:51 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] OT? - RR now blocking email from dynamic IPs...
>
> Not a good substitute.  Broadband access is ubiquitous now.  A laptop
> user should be able configure their laptop for 'DHCP' and have it just
> work wherever they go.  Having to use a different mail server just
> because they are coming from a different network is stupid.  Telling a
> customer to dial in to check mail when there is a perfectly good T3 at
> the office is moronic.  Giving a customer one set of settings that will
> work both in and outside of the TW network is the smart thing to do,
> and not all that difficult.
>
> TW has some smart people working for them (Hi, Ben) but sometimes I
> wonder how badly their hands are tied by management.
>
I've had to struggle with this problem for years. My solution was always to
use a non-standard port for incoming SMTP and then to setup the entire
corporation to use that non-standard port.

My road-warriors were always happy, and the mail always got through. :-)

The real solution though does not lie with us (the sys-admins) but with the
creatures that dwell in Redmond and lands beyond.  Once the email clients of
the masses can be set to do a pop-before-send or to use authenticated smtp
(on different "standardized" ports from regular smtp), then ISP's and
corporate email folk can breath easier and folks will always be allowed to
send their mail using their corporate server.

I don't fault RoadRunner or any other ISP for stopping the massive floods of
spam at their gateways.  Really they have little choice.  In a world of open
mail-servers where one tiny 2k message can spawn into thousands or even
millions, you have to do what you can to hold back the flood.

RoadRunner also allows their mobile folk to use a web-based email
application - where they can safely and easily read and respond to email
using Road Runner's mail service.

Jon Carnes




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