SMTP-level rejection facility + reject logs

[nenieorg]

it would be nice to have a 'reject' like facility operating at the SMTP level on the envelope information, with a log of the rejected envelopes somewhere.

(I'm assuming the current define rules/reject facility is post-hoc, and sends bounce emails instead of SMTP level rejections when not in 'silent' mode.)

also a log facility would be useful in that existing reject facility. as it stands the facility cannot be used by people who care about their email because you have no way to monitor for misconfiguration or errors, fastmail just silently destroys your mail if you have typos in your rules that catch the wrong email (unlike files to folder rules, where misconfiguration just leads to things in the wrong place, much less disastrous). any email processed should live a visible if mininal trace somewhere.

[nanopop]

Hi,

i just wanted to open a thread regarding this!

One of the main reasons for hosting my MX settings at Tuffmail is there realtime reports for deliveries, rejects and virus discards.

How hard would it be for Fastmail to implement such a feature?

And who would like such a feature implemented?

Kind regards,
nanopop

[sjk]

Originally Posted by nanopop

One of the main reasons for hosting my MX settings at Tuffmail is there realtime reports for deliveries, rejects and virus discards.

The reports influenced my choosing Tuffmail as a primary MX server for several domains, too.

How hard would it be for Fastmail to implement such a feature?

I'm sure they have enough programming talent to do it. Never happened after I requested it a few years ago, though.

And who would like such a feature implemented?

I did when I used FastMail more heavily but I stopped caring when it became clear that our feature priorities differed.

[BinaryTB]

I'd love this feature myself in Fastmail, until then, Tuffmail it is.

It helps in diagnosing problems too, email not received? Check the logs, maybe it was tagged as spam. Email not forwarded? Check the logs. Email etc etc? Check the logs.

[David]

So, we have a bunch of Tuffmail users (I used to be one myself) making feature requests at a Fastmail forum

If Fastmail deliver on this feature will it draw Tuffmail users to Fastmail?

I am thinking that if it would - at least it sounds (from the tone of the thread) like it would - So (that being the case) what exactly is Fastmail offering (that Tuffmail won't or can't deliver)? A wonderful webmail perhaps

[sjk]

Originally Posted by David

So (that being the case) what exactly is Fastmail offering (that Tuffmail won't or can't deliver)? A wonderful webmail perhaps

Free accounts.

[BinaryTB]

I have a Fastmail full account as well and from what I can tell, there are two features that Fastmail has that Tuffmail doesn't (for me):

1) Better price/storage/bandwidth ratio
2) The ability to send email to Hotmail users

Tuffmail just raised its prices recently and I have had maybe a 5% success rate sending email to Hotmail users via Tuffmail's smtp server. But Tuffmail has a few more features that are killer than Fastmail's. Fastmail's web interface and file storage don't mean much to me personally, usage wise.

And anyway, I can always use Fastmail's smtp server and pay the extra price to Tuffmail, so the above two Fastmail features aren't enough to make FM my primary provider. For now.

[robmueller]

I'd love to add end to end logging of all email.

The biggest problem I think is the actual size of the logs to store. Currently just storing the login log information for 2 weeks is several gig of data indexed in the DB. I think the size of holding all email deliveries + rejections would be pretty large.

Additionally it's not just the size of the log data, but the rate at which it changes. Adding data to a DB takes time and transactions, which means needing more IO to perform it.. still, it's definitely something always in the back of my mind.

Rob

[nenieorg]

Originally Posted by robmueller

I'd love to add end to end logging of all email.

The biggest problem I think is the actual size of the logs to store.

Take it from the user's storage allocation then. That space is already paid for (sort of :-)).

If you disable the feature from free accounts, and on paying accounts make it something you have to enable, size will be a non issue. I wouldn't expect it to be an outrageously popular feature but very useful for those of us who care. The setting could be "how many days to keep", defaulting to zero, no log, so that people can choose how much of their storage space they use and people who aren't interested in logs use no space.

[BinaryTB]

Originally Posted by nenieorg

Take it from the user's storage allocation then. That space is already paid for (sort of :-)).

If you disable the feature from free accounts, and on paying accounts make it something you have to enable, size will be a non issue. I wouldn't expect it to be an outrageously popular feature but very useful for those of us who care. The setting could be "how many days to keep", defaulting to zero, no log, so that people can choose how much of their storage space they use and people who aren't interested in logs use no space.

Better yet, when enabled, all logs are stored in a user's IMAP folder, where they can be checked via an email client. For Tuffmail you need to login via their management control panel, the IMAP client log checking would be an even better addition, thus taking care of the over usage of space issue.

[Sherry]

Personally I'd rather have a log for File Storage to see which files are accessed/downloaded etc. (or at least along with the email logs)

Sherry

[newhampshire]

Originally Posted by Sherry

Personally I'd rather have a log for File Storage to see which files are accessed/downloaded etc. (or at least along with the email logs)

Sherry

I agree with Sherry, and add the option of if a user enters in a password for a password protected webpage that the user/password combo is also logged. Right now any username will work...that's fine...you can log whatever the user enters.

For the smtp rejected emails see my next post.

[newhampshire]

Sure, just have it emailed to you once daily, or worst case weekly. I get one of these daily from a small email run operation using just Exchange and Secluda, they seem to handle it just fine:

3/23/2007 02:45:17 PM aisboscahx@salescoachinabox.com c-67-176-230-172.hsd1.in.comcast.net [67.176.230.172] Blacklisted Relay - sbl-xbl.spamhaus.org
3/23/2007 03:01:50 PM mcgabber.com@langstonhughespoetry.com bzq-84-109-33-18.red.bezeqint.net [84.109.33.18] Blacklisted Relay - bl.spamcop.net
...continues...

[sjk]

Originally Posted by nenieorg

If you disable the feature from free accounts, and on paying accounts make it something you have to enable, size will be a non issue. I wouldn't expect it to be an outrageously popular feature but very useful for those of us who care.

Logging would have added more value to my Enhanced account than other features.

Originally Posted by Spooon69

Better yet, when enabled, all logs are stored in a user's IMAP folder, where they can be checked via an email client. For Tuffmail you need to login via their management control panel,

Reports can be accessed with Tuffmail's Account Manager in real-time and/or mailed daily (by account and/or domain). I use both methods, with increasingly less real-time checking as I've more optimally tuned my account.