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RE: Question about SPF

2004-08-18 08:23:06
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com
[mailto:owner-spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com]On Behalf Of
dr2(_at_)thetravelinsider(_dot_)info
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 11:00 AM
To: spf-discuss(_at_)v2(_dot_)listbox(_dot_)com
Subject: [spf-discuss] Question about SPF


Apologies for asking a question that has doubtless been asked -
and answered - many times before, but if it is on POBox's
website, it is well hidden.

My situation is, I think, fairly common.

Normally, all my mail goes through my company's SMTP server.  No
problems with setting up the SPF records for this.

BUT.....

When I'm traveling, I may be using any one of a vast number of
different SMTP servers, such as :

Via a webmail interface, eg, mail2web.com
In a hotel with broadband access that 'helpfully' intercepts all
SMTP messages and sends them through their own SMTP server
Using a dialup account that mandates SMTP goes through its server
not a third party one
etc etc etc

I have no way of knowing when these scenarios will occur, or what
the smtp servers will be.

How does SPF handle this?

Many thanks for any answers

David.

We also use mail2web sometimes.  I dealt with it by including
?ptr:mail2web.com in my SPF records.

Mail2web uses a variety of servernames that all end in .mail2web.com, so the
ptr should catch them all.  I put the ? in front to give it a neutral result
since I don't know what all the ptr: mechanism might catch.  This avoids an
SPF fail which might get my mail rejected.

I think the standard answer for the rest is to use SMTP Auth on your home
server to avoid the re-directs and then always send through your home server
even when you are away.  There's probably a complex way to deal with
specifics using exists if you can't do that, but that's a bit beyond me.

Scott Kitterman


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