Re: http://maps.vix.com/dul/

[Paul Mansfield <]

On Fri, 12 Mar 1999, Piet Beertema wrote:
>     The question here is are we required to accept email from
>     any source on the net?
> Depends.
> For a leaf node it's: no. Period.
> For an ISP it's:mabye. Depends on the AUP
> and on what its customers want and accept.

Sort of related topic...

When we find a customer with an open mail relay, and they're running some
antique creaky old MTA which they can't upgrade and can't be fixed, there's
usually only one solution.

We check they have working backup MX records, and then they filter the SMTP
port at their router. Noone except us (our backup MXers) can "see" their mail
machines, and their mail is forced to come via us. 

Since stats show we deliver 90% of all mail in less than ten minutes (at
off-peak time probably 95% in 5 minutes or less), they are then spam-proof at
the cost of a few minutes delay. Since their mail system isn't choked with
spam, their machine runs faster and usually more than makes up for the delay.

We don't like to encourage this, we prefer customer to fix their machines
properly of course (since some clever person might decide to "fix" their
router), but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

Paul
----
# P Mansfield, Senior SysAdmin PSINet UK Ltd, +44-1223-577611 fax:~577600    #
# You can wait for a bus-error all day and then three come along all at once #
# registered linux user 112301 - http://counter.li.org                       #