Best way to set up a Filtered Open Relay?

Hope this is the correct group to post this:

I have several alarm devices (50) that can send email to a server IP address
but they do not have any authentication fields to log onto a server - they
were designed to operate on a LAN.

I want to place them remotely and some will connect over the Internet
The sendto addresses could be anywhere - ie external to my LAN.

So, I guess I need a server with Open Relay ( Yikes)?

Obviously, I only want to relay email FROM a list of my devices but it could
go anywhere.
Won't Open Relay in the traditional sense be tagged as spam?

Anyone have any pointers or suggestion on where to start?

I would prefer a low cost appliance but can always build a PC based solution
if necessary.


Thanks

Bill

Re: Best way to set up a Filtered Open Relay?

Bill wrote:

> Hope this is the correct group to post this:
>
> I have several alarm devices (50) that can send email to a server IP address
> but they do not have any authentication fields to log onto a server - they
> were designed to operate on a LAN.
>
> I want to place them remotely and some will connect over the Internet
> The sendto addresses could be anywhere - ie external to my LAN.
>
> So, I guess I need a server with Open Relay ( Yikes)?
>
> Obviously, I only want to relay email FROM a list of my devices but it could
> go anywhere.
> Won't Open Relay in the traditional sense be tagged as spam?
>
> Anyone have any pointers or suggestion on where to start?
>
> I would prefer a low cost appliance but can always build a PC based solution
> if necessary.
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Bill
>
>
Bill,

There is no need for an open relay.
Have the alarm devices send the email to a recipient that is seen as
local on the server or for which the server accepts email messages.

AK

Re: Best way to set up a Filtered Open Relay?

>Hope this is the correct group to post this:
>
>I have several alarm devices (50) that can send email to a server IP address
>but they do not have any authentication fields to log onto a server - they
>were designed to operate on a LAN.
>
>I want to place them remotely and some will connect over the Internet
>The sendto addresses could be anywhere - ie external to my LAN.
>
>So, I guess I need a server with Open Relay ( Yikes)?

Use a firewall that accepts SMTP traffic exclusively from the IP's
assigned to your 50 devices. Provided they are not nated/shared with
other PC's that might be trojan infected, this would prevent your
central server from being abused.

>Obviously, I only want to relay email FROM a list of my devices but it could
>go anywhere.
>Won't Open Relay in the traditional sense be tagged as spam?

Yes, of course and if you are not going to secure it it will only take
a very short time (minutes to hours) up until abuse will start.

>Anyone have any pointers or suggestion on where to start?
>
>I would prefer a low cost appliance but can always build a PC based solution
>if necessary.

www.nct-technology.com is surely the cheapest e-mail server appliance
around and acutally the only one which truly deserves this
description.

HTH

Markus