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I would like to ask my fellow soylentists... What do you do for an email solution?
For almost 20 years, I have had my own personal domains along with corresponding websites, email, and any other needed service. As I am older now, I no longer need any of the visibility of my own website; I do not need it for getting new jobs, or to host any application or service. However, I still need email. My current ISP has annoyed me with rising fees and a lack of any service (not surprisingly, it went downhill really fast once their business was merged with another.)
So, I am looking to drop everything except the actual domains and the email, (not to mention change providers.) What solutions does everyone else use? Are you happy with your provider?
The biggest feature I am looking for is some type of "catchall" email address. While I realize this means a lot more spam, I am already filtering the 99% of that out. For years, I have created many single use email addresses for various websites. (e.g. keyword@mydomain.xxx ) IMO, this creates better security, because anyone trying to access my accounts need to know the email address I used as well as the password, and I also find out which websites sell my email address to others or get breached. It seems that the majority of sites do not have this simple feature anymore.
Due to my multiple handles, most of the simple email sites will not work for me. Not to mention sites that charge per email handle are not very good either. While I can consolidate with a catch-all address, this is not a preferred method.
I prefer POP3 so that I can have multiple devices access my email and webmail is a plus but not required.
So does anyone know of a email site that will fit my needs? Or is my best chance to create my own email server on a linode VPS? (Though I would prefer a simple premade solution instead of maintaining my own server at this point.)
(Score: 4, Informative) by edIII on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:24AM (6 children)
This is FUD more or less. Certainly the difference between a sysadmin worth his salt ,and one that isn't.
-- IP reputation isn't impossible to manage. Definitely find a reputable host for your server first. A good datacenter, or a reputable virtual provider. After a year or two of good behavior, plus clean up efforts, those blacklisting events should be few and far between. I've only had a couple of notable events in 20 years that I actually had to work at. 80% of my delisting efforts were emails and forms that were fairly painless. On average every 2 years for me now. It's manageable.
-- ALL servers are under constant attack all the time. You're basically advocating never running a server by yourself, ever again. I don't want to lock myself into choosing from different SAAS providers, especially when I can actually handle it myself. Use Fail2Ban and set yourself up a proper firewall. A lot of that noise you refer to is eliminated through the use of a good firewall and serveral RBLs.
-- SPF and DKIM are not mystical arts beyond the comprehension of mortal men. Just set the damn things up and publish some TXT records in your DNS. Sheesh. Set up DMARC for achievement awards for completeness :)
-- Anybody can have access to datacenter IP networks by renting it. $6/mo is fairly affordable and that just got you the IP addresses you're exclusively associating with SAAS providers.
You don't have to give up, and then give it up the Google. Lord, No.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by datapharmer on Wednesday August 14 2019, @10:02AM
I don’t know stretch611’s skill set, but I’ve seen enough spam farm activity coming from misconfigured and unmaintained vps networks that I’m sure that isn’t the easiest or the cheapest solution. As I said, it depends on concerns of privacy but someone who doesn’t have the time or skill set to prosperity maintain a mail server on an ongoing basis is doing themselves and the internet at large a disservice it they “set it and forget it”. As far as privacy goes, there is something to gain from doing it yourself, but doing it on a VPS just means you trust them more than you trust google and it is important to keep in mind the other end of that email is still likely going to one of 3 or 4 providers anyhow. As for calling the setup issues such as blacklisting fud - I didn’t mean they were insurmountable, but you made my actual point for me by saying it can take a year or 2 to clean them up. Most people want something that just works without it being unreliable for a year or more while cleaning up the reputation of the IP. It most certainly can be done, but the pain/reward isn’t for everyone and the question started out asking for an email site that could meet their list of needs - they already had “setup linode” as an alternative.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by ilsa on Wednesday August 14 2019, @12:05PM (3 children)
That is NOT FUD.
Maintaining your own email server IS a pain in the ass. I've been running one myself and it's bloody annoying. On the one side, spam management has become unwieldy to the point where it's not even worth trying to manage it yourself anymore. You have to pay for a separate service anyway.
On the other side, you have to futz around so much with your server because different recipients have so many, sometimes non-RFC compliant requirements for how your email is sent to them that you may end up getting blocked even if everything is configured correctly. Running a mail server is not like it was 20 years ago. What EHLO are you sending? How's your SFP record? DKIM? Do you have a reverse DNS pointer record configured? The list goes on and on.
It's one thing to support a mail server as part of your job. It's another to do it personally. If it's not something you are prepared to actively and constantly babysit, then you will not enjoy running your own server.
(Score: 2) by pvanhoof on Wednesday August 14 2019, @05:43PM (2 children)
Hmm. Actually. That's about it. You maybe also want to make sure not to be on too many block-lists. But if you are not configured to be an open relay, you wont be. And more actually: that reverse DNS will do most of what you need. And actually actually, this is only if you also want to be the SMTP server that sends the E-mails out. For receiving the other SMTP servers will not care much that they are delivering to an MX that has no reverse DNS pointer record, SFP record or DKIM.
Additionally, setting up an SFP record is too easy to be true. More easy than getting reverse DNS pointer record right. Since usually the ISP that gave you the IP adres must do that for you.
Finally, just go here [mxtoolbox.com], let the diagnostic run, and do what they say.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Wednesday August 14 2019, @09:20PM (1 child)
I've done all of that, and I still find I get grief sometimes, where my email just doesn't make it. One time I was trying to figure out why a recipient wasn't getting my email, and it turns out that I wasn't sending some header exactly the way they like it, but what they wanted wasn't even RFC compliant. Email can be hair-ripping.
And then there's having to deal with the usual production server issues, like making sure updates are run regularly, taking backups, etc.
Point being, maintaining an email server is non-trivial, especially for someone who isn't already a full-time sysadmin. And it's a long-term commitment, which again is difficult for people who arn't full-time sysadmins already.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday August 17 2019, @11:52PM
It's just not that difficult. I have to do sysadmin crap all day long, and I rarely, if ever, have to do much with my mail servers.
I check in once in awhile to apply updates. Every year or so, I fully update the Linux distribution and a usually a major revision of Zimbra ZCS. This is not back breaking work. I have a buildsheet and the whole thing takes me a few hours at most.
Reverse DNS is something that actually got a lot easier. At first I needed to make a phone call to somebody at a datacenter and request it. That was time consuming. These days it's a setting on my virtual server, and done in literally 1 second. In fact, all of my DNS records, SPF, DKIM, were sorted out in less than 15 minutes. They are not difficult, and there are plenty of easy to use tools.
You describe a hell of NDRs that I just haven't had to experience. I overstated how difficult the blacklisting was, and I've never seen my mail server get rejected because of a major blacklisting. I just get rid of them to be completely clean, but you really only have to care about the majors. I've dealt with three major delivery issues in 20 years. Craigslist, because they're morons and were blocking a hell of lot more than just me, and two specific corporations. In both cases I had to work a little. Still, THREE times in 20 years. Hardly something to throw the baby out with the bathwater over.
The updating is automatic, the backups automated and nightly, firewalls tied into RBLs, and I get plenty of notifications if something needs to be done.
Email is the least demanding of the systems I administrate, and the most rewarding, because I'm not subject to Google, Microsoft, or some ISP.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Thursday August 15 2019, @05:45PM
I actually have dealt with this in the past. I am familiar with setting up the various records on the DNS in order to avoid being put on blacklists.
But, honestly, I am at the point where I would rather have someone else deal with it.
My primary focus has always been application development. Because of the crossover between that and server management when using web applications, I have been forced into a sysadmin role at times. I always did research things I needed to do and I believe that I successfully did them, but I always have worried that I might have missed something. That being said, I have done the sysadmin role even for small clients that provided services to banks and I have had my server successfully pass the banks audits and reviews. But; that doesn't mean I really want to be a sysadmin if I don't have to be one on a personal email server.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P