DYNDNS SERVICES Email, Mailhop, Etc...

[tmetro-blu-5a1Jt6qxUNc at public.gmane.org (Tom Metro)]

jbk wrote:
> I currently have an ISP that provides my DSL connection and email
> accounts for me. ...I cannot send email from anywhere in the world
> from my laptop because they will not allow relay from a connection they
> don't manage.

I presume you've checked with your ISP to see if they use some 
authentication scheme for off-network relaying? Proving this is pretty 
common for most ISPs these days.


Matthew Gillen wrote:
> Anti-spam measures are your enemy.  The reply-to isn't your problem.
> Using mailhop outbound, you'll get bitten by SPF: your mailhop won't be
> on your ISP's list of allowed servers, and your mail will go into most
> domains' bit-bucket.

True, though an SPF failure tends to be treated as "soft" failure 
(increases spam likeliness rating), rather than a hard failure. I don't 
think SPF is quite widely enough deployed yet. Though if the ISP owning 
the domain has SPF records declared, the chances of rejection go up.


> For twice as much you could use the mailhop inbound to forward to a mail
> server in your house...

It'd be simpler/cheaper to register a domain, and then set your own SPF 
records to permit DynDNS's Mailhop servers as approved senders for your 
domain. Some domain registrars will provide mail forwarding, so you 
don't need to run a server for inbound messages. You might find one that 
provides outbound relaying too. (DynDNS probably does domain 
registrations. We know they provide all the other services. Dreamhost 
has decent registration and DNS services. I'm not sure if they have a 
low-cost email hop/relay service. They do of course include email in 
their web hosting plans that start at about $120/yr.)

But this means migrating your email to a new address. Given how 
inexpensive domains are, registering one so you can become ISP 
independent is highly recommended. (The email equivalent of a phone 
number you can port to other carriers.)

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/