E-mail alternate

Bypassing my usual ISP

[henry0]

Do you know how I could get and send emails without those being piped through my ISP Comcast, really not that Comcastic!
I am no specialist in that field but if I am correct
even if I run a *nix box or use my own server email tied with my DN it has to go through the main ISP POP, correct?
How may I manage differently?

[bill]

You can set the MX record of your DNS to point to any provider. It can be any service you choose...your ISP is just one choice. As a very simple example the Google Apps for your Domain system has very simple instructions for setting your MX records to point toward their servers.

Other options include IMAP solutions where you can use an entirely web based solution for your mail. That would cut out your local ISP's servers altogether.

[henry0]

Thanks Bill,
I will investigate as per your suggestions

[henry0]

Almost done! I am adding IMAP on my server.
Maybe with IMAP I will get my thread auto-notification back (Sweet dream :) )

BDW if you read this, have you tried IMAP?

[jtara]

Keep in mind that IMAP keeps your email on the server. Some IMAP clients will cache your email locally, some don't. Keeping email on the server can be a security issue. On the other hand, IMAP can be very convenient if you frequently access your email from multiple computers.

Your email doesn't have to be tied to your ISP, regardless of whether you use IMAP or POP. You can certainly access a POP server that isn't at your ISP.

As far as SENDING mail, some ISPs will block access to any SMTP port other than their own. This can be fixed by using an alternative SMTP port on the server. Better still, encrypt the connection using SSL. This is an option with most servers.

I use a commercial email service. I use encrypted SSL connections for both outbound (SMTP) and inbound (POP) access.