Analogies never prove anything. Let's get our hands on the real thing instead. Show me another way to run a third-party e-mail gateway that doesn't require a smart relay somewhere. Oh yeah, do it with sendmail.
-----Original Message----- From: Bruce Campbell [mailto:bc@vicious.dropbear.id.au] Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 1:18 AM To: Roeland M.J. Meyer Cc: nanog@merit.edu Subject: RE: ARIN whois
On Mon, 22 Nov 1999, Roeland M.J. Meyer wrote:
What "legitimate business purposes" necessitate leaving SMTP relays open to the world?
How about running a commercial email gateway?
Lets try another analogy set, ie You run a gas station.
open-relay: You give out free fuel to whoever turns up in a vehicle capable of accepting fuel from your bowser.
pop-before-smtp authentication: You require a valid corporate fleet card before handing out fuel.
full-anti-relay: You require payment before letting them near the bowser.
trusted-hosts or IP-based access lists: If their numberplate is in a certain range, give them free fuel.
How about commercial anonymous re-mailers?
Ah, this would be:
You give out free fuel on sighting, but not verifying, a corporate fleet card, and give them a new car.
--==-- Bruce.
Peregrinus expectavi pedes meos in cymbalis est.