[OT but please read] ORBS blacklisting ns1.samba.org

[Peter Samuelson]

[Chris Hertel]
> For those using the ORBS service, I recommend that you look into Paul
> Vixie's MAPS project:

Errr, Vixie and ORBS have had a feud going for some time.  Any
information on one site about the other I would take with a grain of
salt.

> MAPS has a somewhat better reputation for responsible blacklist
> management.  The ISP I use from home is ORBS blacklisted.  Not
> because of open relays, but because they won't allow ORBS to randomly
> probe them.

Well, if your ISP doesn't allow ORBS probes, its netblocks get put in a
separate category from the known relays.  So if I, as a mail admin,
feel that I want to block open relays but *not* block belligerent ISPs
like yours -- I can do so.

The fact that some mail admins don't read the docs and honor *all* the
ORBS listings equally ... is not ORBS's fault.  ORBS is a tool that can
be abused like any other.  They choose to publish the fact that there
is no way of knowing if such-and-such a netblock has open relays
because such-and-such an ISP wishes to hide from ORBS, for whatever
reason.  I may wish to use this information to block mail, or I may
choose to block only *known* relays -- my choice.  I don't see why
people find this so upsetting.

Peter