This is being portrayed a little too "either/or", that if you get spam etc from $BIGEMAIL you, service provider, block them. What goes on is multi-layer spam blocking using various tools rather than host/server blocking except as a last resort. So we'll block/toss/etc a lot of the malmail from $BIGEMAIL w/o generally blocking their servers. If we get a huge attack we have thresholds at which point we might block them for two hours (whatever) hoping it stops on its own or $BIGMAIL stops it. But those are pretty high thresholds and obviously can cause problems for our customers in delayed email but so can our mail servers being pounded on. Those $BIGMAIL delivery servers have a lot more computrons than we do. Aside: What's astounding to me is how little any of this has changed, other than consolidation perhaps -- remember when AOL's servers pounding you with spam could bring you to your knees? I do -- in over 20 years. -- -Barry Shein Software Tool & Die | bzs@TheWorld.com | http://www.TheWorld.com Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: +1 617-STD-WRLD | 800-THE-WRLD The World: Since 1989 | A Public Information Utility | *oo*