Mail server with port-blocking ISP (Was: Re: Looking for classes and advice)

[Eric "Shubes"]

Craig White wrote:
> On Mon, 2007-02-26 at 02:51 -0700, David Bendit wrote:
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>> On Feb 25, 2007, at 9:44 PM, der.hans wrote:
>>
>>> Set up and
>>> run your own mail server and web server. Learn how to keep your own
>>> firewall secure and how to subnet your network for servers on one  
>>> side and
>>> desktops on the other. If you only have two boxes, setup virtual
>>> interfaces and pretend :). If you only have one box, setup virtual
>>> interfaces and pretend even more.
>> Actually, I've been wondering about this for a while, and I've never  
>> found a way to do it. Is there a way to run a mail server on a  
>> standard account (non-business) with a port-blocking ISP? I'm going  
>> through Cox, and they block all the fun ports (80, 25, and a bunch  
>> more). I've even been able to set up postfix before, but only for  
>> intra-network mail. To get mail out, I had to use a relayhost, and  
>> the only way I could find to get mail in always involved a forwarder.  
>> However, with the forwarder, most spam blocking measures  
>> (greylisting, RBLs, etc.) were rendered useless. If you guys can  
>> offer any tips, that'd be great.
> ----
> the answer is that you can't. Things like greylisting and RBL's are only
> useful at the point where an SMTP server that is designated as the MX
> for your domain. Whether you retrieve your email from that system via
> ETRN, fetchmail or other methods, at that point, the mail has already
> been accepted and thus greylisting or RBL blocks and even bouncing mail
> is futile or worse.
> 
> Craig
> 

Painfully true. FWIW though, Qwest isn't block any ports on my connection
(knock wood).

-- 
-Eric 'shubes'