Suggestions for SOHO email service

Jared Watkins jared at watkins.net
Mon Oct 17 13:28:00 EDT 2005


Ted Roche wrote:

> My current email situation has broken down, and I'd like suggestions  
> on the easiest, cheapest and best solutions for setting email for my  
> small business.
>
> Currently, we have Comcast cable and internet in our home and a TDS  
> DSL for the home business. On the DSL, we host three domains for web  
> serving (It was handy to go downstairs and hit the power button). The  
> DSL is dynamic IP, unfortunately, and the local TDS office tells me  
> they have no static IPs they can provision (that wasn't what I was  
> told initially, and why I bought the line)(and hook, and sinker). Am  
> I mistaken, or does a dynamic IP address mean that I can't host my  
> own email server? I've heard that some dynamic IP addresses are  
> rejected as sources of spam. Would relaying outbound email through  
> TDS solve part of this?
>
> My domains are registered with MyDomain.com, who provide an email  
> forwarding service at no charge of up to 10 email accounts per  
> domain, plus a catch-all account. This lets me feed webmaster@,  
> abuse@, support@, sales@ as well as several people's accounts to  
> their ISP, gmail, yahoo! or whatever email accounts.
>
> Unfortunately, MyDomain.com has fallen down on the job. After four  
> years of near-perfect service, they are dropping, bouncing and  
> delaying crucial emails. I need to set something else up.
>
> I'd be comfortable setting up an email server on the TDS DSL line,  
> but since the IP address is dynamic, I'm afraid the mail would be  
> rejected by some services.
>
> How do other people handle email through their domain when only  
> dynamic IPs are available? Or is the answer to host the domains at an  
> ISP?

I do much the same thing you are talking about.  I run my own email
server under linux.. and I route my outbound mail through the RR mail
server.  This will prevent the problem with people who block deliveries
from dynamic IPs.  For inbound.. I use the dynamic dns service from
dyndns.com.  They have several options for getting around dns and mail
hosting problems.. and I've been with them for more than 5 years now
with no problems.

Also.. with mail delivery.. if there is no published MX record..  the
sending systems will attempt to connect to the main 'domain.com' address
to deliver the mail.

Jared




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