Webmaster forum - Need Robust Mail host for high volume

Author

Need Robust Mail host for high volume

Travis Pupkin

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

Hi,

I need to find a reliable pop3 e-mail host for a client who has had a
nightmare with previous email providers. They need 20-30 accounts (with
upward mobility), with the capacity for large attachments and storage
space (2 GB should be safe).

They also need an account management control panel for adding/removing
addresses, adding auto-replies, aliases, etc.; web mail interface for
remote access; and great support who won't always tell them first that
it's their fault if they're having errors.

They also need the following NOT to happen:

# Incoming emails consistently delayed a day or more with no explanation
# Important emails wrongly intercepted as SPAM
# Important attachments wrongly intercepted as viruses
# Duplicate e-mails to regularly flood in from their backup on the
server
# Their mailboxes to fill up and reject messages without reliable prior
notification
# Their server to stop responding or lock their account when attempting
to receive many messages with large attachments
# Support techs who say, "E-mail wasn't meant handle large attachments
or a high volume of messages"
# Support techs who say, "Use IMAP"

Any recommendations? If you can find something good, I'll start setting
up all my clients there.

Thanks.

Viper

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

Travis Pupkin wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I need to find a reliable pop3 e-mail host for a client who has had a
> nightmare with previous email providers. They need 20-30 accounts
> (with upward mobility), with the capacity for large attachments and
> storage space (2 GB should be safe).
>
> They also need an account management control panel for adding/removing
> addresses, adding auto-replies, aliases, etc.; web mail interface for
> remote access; and great support who won't always tell them first that
> it's their fault if they're having errors.
>
> They also need the following NOT to happen:
>
> # Incoming emails consistently delayed a day or more with no
> explanation # Important emails wrongly intercepted as SPAM
> # Important attachments wrongly intercepted as viruses
> # Duplicate e-mails to regularly flood in from their backup on the
> server
> # Their mailboxes to fill up and reject messages without reliable
> prior notification
> # Their server to stop responding or lock their account when
> attempting to receive many messages with large attachments
> # Support techs who say, "E-mail wasn't meant handle large attachments
> or a high volume of messages"
> # Support techs who say, "Use IMAP"
>
> Any recommendations? If you can find something good, I'll start
> setting up all my clients there.
>
> Thanks.

I suggest getting a dedicated server. This will let them setup their own
spam filters or none at all if they like spam. Will also help with the space
and resources needed.

Travis Pupkin

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

In article <xYOdnWa1pZ26HGTcRVn-iw@comcast.com>, venomx@XXXXXXXXXX
says...
> Travis Pupkin wrote:
>
> I suggest getting a dedicated server. This will let them setup their own
> spam filters or none at all if they like spam. Will also help with the space
> and resources needed.
>

That idea's been floated, but running a mail server takes resources they
don't want to bother with. If possible, they'd like to outsource, but
that is on the table as an option.

William Tasso

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

Travis Pupkin wrote:
> Hi,

Greetings

> I need to find a reliable pop3 e-mail host for a client who has had a
> nightmare with previous email providers. They need 20-30 accounts (with
> upward mobility), with the capacity for large attachments and storage
> space (2 GB should be safe).

2GB for the domain or 2GB per user?

> They also need an account management control panel for adding/removing
> addresses, adding auto-replies, aliases, etc.; web mail interface for
> remote access;

Fairly standard with most mail server offerings.

> and great support who won't always tell them first that
> it's their fault if they're having errors.

hmmmm

> They also need the following NOT to happen:
>
> # Incoming emails consistently delayed a day or more with no explanation

Has anyone tried to analyse where the the issue is when that happens?

> # Important emails wrongly intercepted as SPAM
> # Important attachments wrongly intercepted as viruses

ok - that's simple, turn off all filters for incoming. let the
client(s) make those decisions.

> # Duplicate e-mails to regularly flood in from their backup on the
> server

'backup on the server' or backup mail server? his could be related to
the first issue

> # Their mailboxes to fill up and reject messages without reliable prior
> notification
> # Their server to stop responding or lock their account when attempting
> to receive many messages with large attachments

This is beginning to sound like our serpentine friend is on the right lines.

> # Support techs who say, "E-mail wasn't meant handle large attachments
> or a high volume of messages"
> # Support techs who say, "Use IMAP"

Do they also say 'have a nice day'?

> Any recommendations? If you can find something good, I'll start setting
> up all my clients there.

Have you considered a managed dedicated server for your client or for
yourself? In case that doesn't make sense; it's where the O/S, network
connectivity and core apps (mail server in this case) are managed for
you and you (and/or your client) just look after account management.

An indication of monthly budget as well as total capacity (storage and
throughput) requirements would help with deciding the best course of action.

--
William Tasso ------ read, read again, then post:
http://www.aww-faq.org/
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.www.webmaster

Chris Hope

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

William Tasso wrote:

>
> hmmmm

In my experience it's almost always the fault of the users when they are
having problems trying to download email. That or their ISP.

--
Chris Hope - The Electric Toolbox - http://www.electrictoolbox.com/

Audry Glamour

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

In article <MPG.1c631d575fe164af9897bf@news.individual.net>,
Travis Pupkin <tpupkin@dorrk.com> wrote:

> I need to find a reliable pop3 e-mail host for a client who has had a
> nightmare with previous email providers. They need 20-30 accounts (with
> upward mobility), with the capacity for large attachments and storage
> space (2 GB should be safe).

You might look at one of the business accounts at
http://www.smileglobal.com/orderbusiness.html/

I do not have any connection with this company other than a personal
email account there. Support has always been fantastic. If you have any
questions after looking at the web page, send 'em an email.

Even their personal accounts allow large attachments.

Audry
(tawdryglamour who is at smileglobal dot com)

Travis Pupkin

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

>
>
> 2GB for the domain or 2GB per user?

For the domain. Sorry, that was unintentionally vague.
>
>
> Fairly standard with most mail server offerings.

That's what I thought. You'd be surprised at how many reputable ISPs (in
my area) don't offer this.

>
>
> hmmmm

Yeah, I know, but the key to customer service is to not initially make
the user feel like an idiot but to help them fix it without assigning
blame, even if it is their fault. That has not been the case with the
two previous e-mail providers for this client.

>
>
> Has anyone tried to analyse where the the issue is when that happens?

No, and that's part of the support problem mentioned above.

>
>
> ok - that's simple, turn off all filters for incoming. let the
> client(s) make those decisions.
>
>
> 'backup on the server' or backup mail server? his could be related to
> the first issue

Allowing the client to keep a backup of their recent messages on the
server, accessible via the web mail interface.

>
>
> This is beginning to sound like our serpentine friend is on the right lines.
>
>
> Do they also say 'have a nice day'?

Not usually.

>
>
> Have you considered a managed dedicated server for your client or for
> yourself? In case that doesn't make sense; it's where the O/S, network
> connectivity and core apps (mail server in this case) are managed for
> you and you (and/or your client) just look after account management.

Yeah, it's an option, but an expensive one.

Thanks.

Travis Pupkin

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

In article <ctc5c2$can$1@lust.ihug.co.nz>, blackhole@electrictoolbox.com
says...
> William Tasso wrote:
>
>
> In my experience it's almost always the fault of the users when they are
> having problems trying to download email. That or their ISP.
>
>

You're right, but how you go about dealing with the problem is
important, and relying on that assumption is the key to crappy tech
support, especially if it precludes you from acknowledging your own
errors.

Travis Pupkin

2005-01-28, 7:44 pm

In article <tawdryglamour-EBA4AC.21492727012005@individual.net>,
tawdryglamour@yahoo.com says...
> In article <MPG.1c631d575fe164af9897bf@news.individual.net>,
> Travis Pupkin <tpupkin@dorrk.com> wrote:
>
>
> You might look at one of the business accounts at
> http://www.smileglobal.com/orderbusiness.html/

That sounds too good to be true. Any one else have experience with
SmileGlobal?

Norman L. DeForest

2005-01-29, 4:20 am

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005, Travis Pupkin wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I need to find a reliable pop3 e-mail host for a client who has had a
> nightmare with previous email providers. They need 20-30 accounts (with
> upward mobility), with the capacity for large attachments and storage
> space (2 GB should be safe).
>
> They also need an account management control panel for adding/removing
> addresses, adding auto-replies, aliases, etc.; web mail interface for
> remote access; and great support who won't always tell them first that
> it's their fault if they're having errors.
>
> They also need the following NOT to happen:
>
[snip]
> # Duplicate e-mails to regularly flood in from their backup on the
> server
[snip]
> # Their server to stop responding or lock their account when attempting
> to receive many messages with large attachments
> # Support techs who say, "E-mail wasn't meant handle large attachments
> or a high volume of messages"
> # Support techs who say, "Use IMAP"
[snip]

The support techs may be partially right. POP3 has problems when an inbox
is over-quota and there is not enough free space to make a backup of the
inbox during a POP3 session, especially if the user is accessing the
inbox with Outlook Express. It has to make a complete copy of the inbox
with deleted messages unincluded, then delete the original inbox and
rename the backup to the old inbox name. If the user runs out of space,
the backup fails, the inbox is not properly updated and downloaded and
"deleted" messages are not really deleted.

This is compounded by OE's habit of generating timeouts when not
appropriate, especially when downloading large attachments, leaving
already downloaded messages in the inbox which later appear to be
duplicate messages. Instead of saying[1], "Ooops. this process hasn't
responded for ten minutes. I had better abort due to timeout." it says,
"Ooops, this attachment hasn't been downloaded within ten minutes. I
had better abort and announce a timeout." just when you have
three-quarters of the attachment downloaded.

IMAP is much better at handling over-quota mailboxes. Among other
things, messages can be deleted without the problem of creating backup
copies of the inbox first. (And they can be deleted without having to
download them first.)

Add in OE's habit of checking for new mail (if configured to do so) even
when not appropriate because the inbox is already being accessed, and you
now also have the problems of corrupted inboxes because of two different
processes or threads of a process are accessing and modifying the inbox at
the same time.

[1] Programs really hate it when you anthropomorphize them.[2]
[2] When it comes to OE, I really don't care.
--
Norman De Forest http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/Profile.html
af380@chebucto.ns.ca [=||=] (A Speech Friendly Site)
My Usenet 2005 calendar: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/Year-2005.txt
For explanation: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/Links.Books.html#TandD