Sendmail-Qmail question

[Mike Starke]

On Wed, May 14, 2003 at 11:38:43AM -0700, Bruner, Andrew wrote:
/_I'd like to get some comments from the list regarding Sendmail & Qmail. My
/_question(s) are: Does anyone know if Sendmail or Qmail can handle large file
/_attatchments and 12,000 users? Also is there a configuration that will
/_enable  us to maintain Public Folders and use a client like MS Outlook?  
/_I'd like to suggest an Open Source solution to our Microsoft only mail
/_server admins if there is one.
/_ 
/_Here's the situation:
/_I work for an agency that has been having problems with our Exchange server.
/_Specifically, emails with large files (7-14meg) attatched will crash the
/_server.
/_They don't know why the server crashes but heres the solution presented to
/_us by Microsoft:
/_1)       limit emails to 3mb 
/_2)       upgrade our hardware\$oftware.
/_ 
/_Our admins added these to the list:
/_1)       burn large files to disk then sneaker net
/_2)       use an ftp server for large files
/_ 
/_There's got to be a better way!

At my last place of employment, attachments as large as 50Mb were
not uncommon; 20Mb was pretty common, and 5Mb attachments where just
the norm.

I used Qmail for the longest time and never had a problem with it.
The problem was not with Qmail, the problem always resided in something like
this scenario: CEO calls me at 2AM "Mike, I am in Taiwan, and I go to get
my mail and it just hangs there. Is the mail server down?" 
It doesn't take an admin long to realize that explaining the mechanics of 
POP, dialup mixed with large attachments is futile.

As luck would have it, politics made it's way in and Exchange was rolled out.
I too had problems with Exchange choking on me as large files seemingly
were sent. The problem turned out to be that Exchange was limited
(in our version) in the size of the database store; 15 Mb rings a bell
if I remember correctly. Coincidence would have it in that a user would delete
something just long enough for Exchange to run for a period of time, then
a large file would increase the store, and then Exchange would choke.
It took 2 steady days on the phone with MS techsupport to locate
and diagnose the problem (they would always blame the NetApp filer 
which was used for the storage).

In short, you should not have a problem with either package (I know little
about Sendmail) assuming you have the hardware to support your specs.

I do not, by the way, support large attachments in email. I think too
many people use their email clients for file management. Some folks
thought I was a godsend when I showed them the FTP solution: Others
just knew I was from email hell.

v/r
-mike