Re: [SAGE] mirapoint?

[Brad Knowles <brad@stop.mail-abuse.org>]

At 7:10 PM -0500 2005-01-14, Dan Foster wrote:

>  We also had issues with how the unit responded once the queue got large.
>
>  Can't really tell but it almost seemed like a single large queue because
>  performance seemed to exponentially drop once the incoming queue got
>  large enough.

	My understanding is that they were running a slightly modified 
version of sendmail, at least for a while, and this is a typical 
problem with older sendmail versions and newer ones if you don't 
configure them for a mail queue hashing scheme.

>  A really large mailbox (245 MB, IIRC) also made performance crawl, too.
>  It took a few hours to delete all the messages in that mailbox, as I
>  seem to recall. :)

	ISTR that they were running a slightly hacked version of a fairly 
well known POP3/IMAP server (UW-IMAP?) and that it used 7th edition 
mbox format, which is known to have scaling issues once the mailboxes 
get large.

>  But given the technical and security issues I've seen with that product,
>  as well as the pricing... I'm just not comfortable in recommending it
>  unless one really has wheelbarrows of money and can lock it down *tight*.
>  Maybe they offer more reasonable pricing to other people, who knows? :)

	Personally, I think you could build your own box and run Sendmail 
SAMS or Stalker Communigate Pro, spend less money, and get a more 
scalable solution.

>  I should also note that it is entirely possible that Mirapoint has
>  become much more security conscious and responsive, as well as beefed up
>  the internal protections (eg password scheme) with their current products.

	At the very least, if you're running a vendor product on top of 
your own box, you can deal with all the box security issues yourself, 
and the vendor only has to worry about their software.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad@stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.