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From: "Jonathan M. Bresler" <jmb>
Message-Id: <199709072335.QAA17881@hub.freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: spam and the FreeBSD mailing lists
To: ahd@kew.com (Drew Derbyshire)
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 16:35:42 -0700 (PDT)
Cc: jmb@FreeBSD.ORG, hackers@hub.freebsd.org, support@kew.com
In-Reply-To: <341314D0.E22ADFF3@kew.com> from "Drew Derbyshire" at Sep 7, 97 04:55:44 pm
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Drew Derbyshire wrote:
> 
> Jonathan M. Bresler wrote:
> > therefore, we are not blocking mail from sites that can not be
> > resolved in the DNS.  not that i dont want to, there are just too
> > many newbies out there that send mail to the lists.
> 
> You really do want to enable that.  
> 
> First off, it really does kill much spam.  
> 
> Just as important, however, is that bounce messages just plain _don't_
> _work_ for such users when they are legitimate, and a specific useful
> message reporting that the host cannot be resolved is going to do more
> to solve their (or their ISP's) long term problem with lost bounces more
> than blindly accepting mail which doesn't have a valid address.
> 
> The TCP/IP protocol implicitly requires public IP address to be properly
> registered to be routed (otherwise, you don't get your ACK's back!),

	please remember to distinguish between "mail from:" addresses
	and relays.  there is *not* reasone that i know of that a
	"mail from:" address must be resolvable.
	if the "don't get your ACK's ba" they cant establish the TCP
	session in order to transfer the mail in the first place.

> there is no sin in requiring public e-mail addresses registered as well.
> 
> Note too, that newbies tend to not start with e-mail from their own
> sites, they use their existing connection (Windows connected to an ISP
> POP3 server or whatever) to get up and then migrate.  I've handled
> e-mail support for UUPC/extended for ~ 8 years, I've watched the pattern
> for that long -- my help desk is now reading this over my shoulder, and
> her comment is "Yup -- and that any list which is spammed is less
> helpful".

	you may well be correct about this...i am still learning the 
	email game even though i have been postmaster for over two years.
	things keep changing and there is always more to learn
	i may change the check_relay ruleset to require DNS resolution. ;)
jmb