Concerning free email services run on Imail:
We operate a free Email service using Imail with around 50,000 global users.
Have been for 2 years. I'll give you my thoughts on such a thing. Its a bit
long but, it may help you make a decision:
1. While not totally suited for the task, Imail has done well. The key is,
of course, to keep the undesirables out. This will be your hardest task.
First, your Imail server MUST be locked down with "Relay for Addresses" set,
NO LDAP, no FINGER, no WHOIS, no IMAP, if you can get away with it. Force
all users who want SMTP access to use SMTP AUTH.
2. Hire a programmer or, make sure your skills with VBscript or Java are up
to the task. We use an external database (SQL 7 server) for authentication
with custom sign up scripts and customer utilities and maintenance routines.
New signups are shown the usual warnings about spam etc and shown their IP
address and informed that their IP and ISP information (trace routed) is
being recorded. They are also required to enter a valid ISP email address.
The sign up script sends a message to this address requesting confirmation
of the account's creation and instructions on what to do if the recipient is
someone other than the account creator. They are told before hand that if
the message bounces or, the holder of the Email address objects, the account
will be deleted immediately.
Requiring this is about as far as you can go without getting more than the
usual name, address, etc information. You COULD require credit card info
but, this may not be legal in some areas unless you actually charge the
customer something for service, and there is this strange connection between
spammers and stolen or fake credit cards.... <G>
3. Actively monitor your abuse and administrative mailboxes! Make SURE you
have "abuse", "support", "hostmater", "webmaster" etc addresses and post
your abuse address to all services that list same for your domains. This is
the single most important thing you will do. When a spam complaint comes in,
act on it and reply to the sender with what you have done.
Our policy is to terminate accounts on the FIRST verified complaint. We sign
up around 100 new users per day, loosing one or two to protect your system
is perfectly acceptable.
4. Limit outgoing messages per session. We allow 10. We do not supply
mailing lists. If a user needs more than this, there are other services out
there that don't care.
5. Don't, I repeat DON'T, try to save money on the Imail box or the SQL
server. When using an external database, speed is EVERYTHING! If your SQL
server bogs down, SMTP AUTH will fail. Your SQL box should serve the Imail
server only. Do not, under any circumstances, try to run Imail and SQL on
the same box. Make sure you are using 100 mbs or better through a switch. No
hubs, no 10 mbs cards.
Of course, you could use Imail's internal database for this and not need
SQL. We prefer to have the extra control over customer records SQL provides
but, there are some fine utilities out there (the authors are on this list)
that will allow you to add records to Imail's database from a script.
6. Actively groom your server. We run scripts daily that report on customers
who have reached 80% of their mailbox size. These send a warning to the
customer and a report to us and if nothing is done, deleting the mailbox in
question when it reaches 100%. Monitor your spool directory! Again we run
daily scripts that delete files in spool if they are older than 4 days.
Limit your send retries. We allow 3 retries before giving up, 15 minute
queue timer. May be a problem sometimes with Yahoo mail and AOL but, that's
life. Monitor your log files! Look for trouble before it finds you!
As far as spam is concerned, we get one or two a week and delete their
accounts on notification. Not too much they can do to harm you if you limit
outgoing messages. This all assumes you want to supply SMTP and POP3
service. If strictly Web mail, a lot of these problems go away but, so do
the customers.
In conclusion, it can be done but, you HAVE to take an active role in
policing your service.
Robert J. Fehn Sr. CEO
GBM Technologies Ltd. / Mail Options / ProNet USA Inc
Nation Wide Internet Access and Free Email / News
http://www.pro-usa.net http://www.mailops.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Marcos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 11:28 PM
Subject: RE: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
> !@#$ are you serious? Anyone have any experiences in this?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of CHPL Support
> Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 11:17 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
>
>
> I would never in a million years create a FREE mail site. There is NO WAY
> to protect your server aside from creating a script that limits the number
> of mails going through to 5 or 10 at a time ..... this is fairly easy in
> UNIX sendmail... but I have enever seen it done on IMAIL.
>
> Once you turn a user on and assign them a user name and password ...you
have
> given them the keys to the SMTP server. And the fact that you have no
> contact info or credit card info to fall back on for penalties will set
you
> up to be turned off by your upline provider as soon as you get started.
>
> Just my opinion.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
> Chapel Communications Support
> ___________________________________
> 888 747-4949
> http://CHPL.net <http://CHPL.net>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of David Marcos
> Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 10:09 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
>
>
> I'd love to know this as well. What protection measures should be taken
on
> the IMail to protect it from spammers? There's another thread about "What
> does this mean?" discussing some issues but is there more to consider?
>
> Thanks,
> Dm
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of CHPL Support
> Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 10:58 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
>
>
> How are you going to protect yourself and your ISP from people who wish
to
> use your FREE service for spam.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
> Chapel Communications Support
> ___________________________________
> 888 747-4949
> http://CHPL.net
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of NetQuick Mail
> Administration
> Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 3:04 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
>
>
> Please Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] with reference to this
>
> Kevin Childers
> NetQuick Customer Support.
> (910) 486-7845
> (888) 228-0312
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 10:17 AM
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: [IMail Forum] Hosting Request
> >
> >
> > Hi
> >
> > I was about to do a deal with an iMail service provider in St. Louis to
> move
> > into a pre-commercial test of using the ReplyToMe.com domain as the
basis
> > for an initial freemail-based service. We agreed on a fee of $100 for a
> > limit of 5000 signups, this would have obviously, given us something to
> work
> > with. However, the company was sold and we are at ground zero again.
> >
> > Is there anyone out there who could facilitate us on a similar basis?
> >
> > Thanks in Advance
> >
> > David Epstein
> >
> >
> > Please visit http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html
> > to be removed from this list.
> >
> > An Archive of this list is available at:
> > http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/
> >
> >
> > Please visit http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html
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> >
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> >
>
>
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