Re: [exim] updated [PATCH] ratelimit improvements

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Author: W B Hacker
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] updated [PATCH] ratelimit improvements
Tony Finch wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Feb 2008, W B Hacker wrote:
>> Tony Finch wrote:
>>
>>>     The major new feature is a mechanism for counting the rate of unique
>>>     events. The new per_addr option counts the number of different
>>>     recipients that someone has sent messages to in the last time period.
>> What happens if/as/when said 'someone' sends many messages to the *same*
>> recipient rather than to different recipients?

>
> They aren't counted, which is the whole point.
>
> Tony.


I understood they were not counted 'there' - but can you clarify as to
whether they are / are not counted *anywhere*?

Grant these are separate needs, hence separate code (probably).

But ratelimiting should be just as capable 'somewhere' at preventing a
vicious or foolish Luser or broken script/daemon from beating the
bejayzus out of a *single* recipient with 1,000 messages as a hundred
messages each to ten recipients. Or whatever.

Realworld case that caused me to ask was a flawed 'dominant carrier'
email-to-fax system circa early '90's that - when fed an off-by-one
phone number, placed over 9,000 fax retry calls to the voice line of a
retired octogenarian in Barbados.

Neither she, her family Doctor, nor the lawyer the family engaged, found
it amusing in the least.

Bill