Hi Tim, thanks for your response:
Dedicated IP for what? Web hosting?
Web hosting, smtp, pop3, cPanel, WHM, etc. - essentially all internet
services hosted with the provider.
That's normal, unless you are paying the sysadmin to run a separate
instance of Exim just for you, which isn't common: if it matters that much
then people are normally getting virtual dedicated servers (based on UML,
Xen, linux-vserver etc.) If only a single instance is running, then it's
not "your" SMTP server at all, it's your provider's.
I know it is normal, and I know it isn't mine, hence the use of "my" smtp
server in quotes. Sorry if I didn't make that clear - I was just trying to
differentiate the logical "my" smtp server from the physical provider's smtp
server - even though, I acknowledge, they are one and the same.
This doesn't really make a lot of sense. In what sense is Exim "picking
up" an IP? In the sense of the "received from" host in headers, "received
by" host in headers, or do you mean the interface that it sends *out* on?
(and which is therefore "picked up" by other hosts?) All three of those
are instances where the "primary hostname" might appear.
Correct - all of the above. In an ideal world, my clients would be
insulated from my underlying provider. While I do offer value added and
personalized customer service, one never wants to lose customers to an
upstream provider, as far as possible.
...they can always go and look up the IP in rwhois anyway).
My provider has set the reverse DNS of my IP to point to my hostname, so
this would still reveal my hostname, not my underlying provider. I do
concede the fact that most normal users probably don't look at the headers,
so it may be irrelevant. But with the continuing increase of spam, more and
more are looking at the headers of their e-mail messages, and trying to
figure out what it all means. As they delve into the mysterys of mail
headers, I don't want them to decide to cut me out of the service provider
loop, if I can avoid that. They are welcome to take their business
elsewhere, but I'd rather not necessarily show them who I think is the most
reliable, cost effective provider out there in the wild. I spend a
significant amount of time, energy, and money evaluating providers and
separating the fly-by-night from the legitimate, and when I don't get any
return on that effort it is counter-productive to running a profitable
business.
A "dedicated IP" on a shared server is really only that: just another
interface on a shared server. If you want a complete "virtual environment"
where *everything* seems to be running on a different host (and remember
it's not just SMTP here: what happens if you go to the IP address via
HTTP, without a virtual host defined? What about POP3/IMAP/other services,
if they are also being provided on that host?),
In my experience and in current practice, my dedicated IP on a shared server
points to my site exclusively, hence the use of "dedicated IP", rather than
"shared IP." If I plug my dedicated IP address in: http://72.232.178.125, I
get my webpage - no virtual host needed. I can use my dedicated IP to
access SMTP, POP3, and IMAP serverices. Of course, I am really getting my
underlying provider's SMTP, POP3, and IMAP services.
...rather than trying to "fake" it, it's much easier just to actually
*really* run everything on a different host: that's when a virtual server
is definitely the way to go. (There are other advantages too, like
improved security)
You are right, I'm sure it is much easier and safer. But, when you couple
the cost of a dedicated or virtual server with the cost of management (I am
just starting to learn Linux) then a shared host at $5/month which includes
2 dedicated IP's makes more sense, at least until my customer base grows!
So, short term, how can we "fake it"? I know there is a way - my previous
provider was able to do it, but of course didn't share the technique with
me.
Thanks!
- Paul
Paul Rupp
Acorp Computers
Albuquerque, NM
www.acorp.net
For more information or a free brochure call:
(505) 890-8580 [Office]
(505) 450-8580 [Cell]
(888) 450-8580 [Toll-Free]
Tim
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