On Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:25:40 +0000 "mick.crane" <mick.cr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> hello > I'm not really understanding the internet. > Can I do my own SMTP server and send mail off to the right place > without having the device open to random internet connections? > Yes, though it's becoming harder. You need a fixed IP address to make it reliable, as though a dynamic IP generally does not change often, you need to update Internet-held DNS records when it does change. There is software that will do that. Realistically, you need an ISP which is friendly towards SMTP servers, and actively avoids getting on email blacklists. In the UK, Plusnet, Zen and (for the rich) Andrews and Arnold are the largest alternatives. I would doubt that the mass-market ISPs like Virgin will offer fixed IP addresses, and they won't care about getting on blacklists. The SMTP port (either TCP/25 or TCP/587 for secure encrypted access) does need to be open to the world, but it should only connect to your SMTP server which is generally fairly secure against getting hacked. Exim4 is the default Debian SMTP server, though Postfix is considered slightly more secure. Generally it's easier to pick a domain host which offers an SMTP server to look after your domain name, and to send all mail through their server. Receiving mail directly still is more reliable with a fixed IP address, as it requires your domain host to hold the MX record pointing to your public IP address. There's plenty of stuff on the Net about this, here's an example: https://serverfault.com/questions/698842/is-setting-up-my-own-smtp-server-to-send-email-a-waste-of-time-with-regards-to-d I've run my own mail server for about twenty years, without much trouble. I used to send successfully to my accountant, who was on AOL, a notoriously picky destination. I'm not aware of anyone who currently refuses mail from me. -- Joe
