[vox-tech] How many people run their own mail server?

[Alex Mandel]

On 10/16/2013 05:33 PM, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Alex Mandel (tech_dev at wildintellect.com):
> 
>> I had though about rolling my own mail service, and I do host my own
>> website from home (dynamic ip forwarding). But decided I'd rather
>> outsource my email so that it's working even if my network is down, or
>> power at my house it out etc.
> 
> The lazy man's way of dealing with that problem is to be prepared to put
> your server in a car and temporarily move it to a static IP anywhere else 
> in the world to bridge any protracted outage.  (Just repoint to the new
> IP in DNS, and you're back.[1])  Ideally, with optimal preparation, you
> also have a spare hard drive on a shelf preloaded with an MTA
> configuration, in case of hardware failure.
> 

I only pay less than $20/year for 5 boxes (several GB each) with webmail
access and imap. The bus number is greater than 1, especially when I'm
travelling and relying on email for certain things. If the network went
out, or hardware failed in some way, I'd be down for the rest of the trip.

It would cost me more than that just to get a static IP or a vps.

> 
>> With IMAP and thunderbird I don't need all the spam/filtering server
>> side....
> 
> What you may not realise is that spam detection/rejection works a
> _great_ deal better when done as early as possible server side, ideally 
> during incoming SMTP sessions.  It's pretty easy to do routinely better
> than GMail, for example.
> 

It wouldn't surprise me if my service is blocking some of the more
notorious known spammers. With Thunderbird adaptive filtering (I think
it's bayesian based), it gets 99% of the spam, and I can retrain it on
things that are ham. Having used it since it came out (early to mid
2000s) I've been quite happy.


> [1] Downtime of up to, if memory serves, 4 days will not bounce any
> mail, though some senders will get progress DSNs saying the mail has
> been not deliverable for NN hours and will be retried.

I think running your own servers is great, and I think there's a role
for running your own mail server when:
1. You want to know how to do it
2. It happens to be a skill you might pull out for employment
3. You find it fun
4. You're prepared to handle the possible outage scenarios

I actually do help run a mail server, for an org, but they have 15,000+
unique list subscribers and all sorts of business needs. They also have
several colo servers to handle such things with onsite tech help if we
need (thanks OSUOSL).

Thanks,
Alex