Re: [Exim] MX Record points to non-existent host

On Saturday 22 February 2003 18:31, Greg Louis wrote:
> It is not my duty -- I would say it is none of my business -- to get in
> anyone else's face about how well or badly they set up their
> environment.

I believe we were probably writing in different contexts. The customers I
refer to are those of the ISPs I do outsourced admin work for. In our case,
it is imperative that customers' configuration is up to scratch, because a
problem on their network is also a problem on our network, and we usually
get blaimed by their management for not picking up the shortcomings of
their IT staff.

In your case however, from what I can understand, these are customers in a
business field totally unrelated to IT, who merely use e-mail to
communicate with you, they do not receive it as a service from you.

In that case, you make a valid point, as there is really no way you can tell
anybody how to run his show. In our case, being an ISP, customers are
slightly more cooperative to such requests, but I've never tried such
tactics on people far away simply sending us e-mail, or, more acurately, no
employer has ever allowed me to do this.

One thing I have done with mixed results though, is to contact the ISP the
other side is using and alert them to the configuration problem. In some of
the cases, the ISP in question takes it up with them and have the problem
fixed, or help them to do so, and sometimes, the ISP ignores me completely,
but I always make sure that I atleast try.

Getting back to the original topic, there really is no real solution. Do you
uphold high standards, and cut off those who don't, or do you drop your
standards to fit in with the crowd?

Personally ofcourse, I feel the responsibility of upholding standards lies
with ISPs, who actually get payed to make sure their customers' hardware
works properly, sadly, most ISPs these days persue nothing but the maximum
profit, neglecting in its favour, such basic necesities as an abuse desk
and properly regulated networks.

Some ISPs have even taken to the totally unethical practice of blocking
certain types of traffic to prevent customers from running servers on their
connection, and possibly doing for themselves what their ISP can charge
them extra to do, even if they can do it for themselves.

Until the absolute power of the almighty buck is replaced with something
more sensible, I suppose that's just the world we live in.

Will

--
Willie Viljoen
Freelance IT Consultant

214 Paul Kruger Avenue, Universitas
Bloemfontein
9321
South Africa

+27 51 522 15 60
+27 51 522 44 36 (after hours)
+27 82 404 03 27 (mobile)

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