Considering Data Centre Co-Location for Mail/Web servers

[Afasoas]

I'm burned by VPS hosting and entire IP blocks getting blacklisted.
I don't want compromise on running my own mail server. So I'm considering renting a few U in a data centre and populating them with a handful of cheap* servers.

(2U for firewalls, 2U for mail/web/dns server. And maybe some more U I can sublet to friends in order to offset/reduce overall cost).
I found £29 per U, which is very reasonable. But it's south coast and I need something in the midlands.

Anyone care to talk me out of this madness?

*Dell or HP, 2nd hand

[sizbut]

Get a Synology drivestation or similar and run your own mailserver (and much more) from your house. The mail when you read it comes into your house anyway so it actually doesn't increase your bandwidth (and you'll be just like Hilary, running your own server free from the gaze of the FBI).

[Dibdib]

Are the ip blocks from J Random Datacentre any more or less likely to get blacklisted than the VPS ones? They seem to be "shoot first ask questions later" for anything that isn't Google or Hotmail these days.

[Feanor]

I run my own mailserver here at my end of an ADSL link.

Advantages are that it's always physically accessible, I don't need to go somewhere lese if it screws up.
Disadvantages are less reliable connectivity ( I have AAISP as a secondary MX, and ETRN after coming back on-line).
Other disadvantage is that IP reputation and getting mail accepted by other domains is my problem.

I've got the server on a static IP address with associated reverse DNS ( ie NOT on a dynamic range blocked by the various SPAM engines ), SPF, and Domain Keys set up.
This works for 99% of recipients.
But a reply to an AOL address was shit-canned for reasons that they could / would not explain.
I had to tell the AOL customer I was replying to that it was not a problem at my end, and to contact their provider, AOL, and ask them to stop shit-canning their mail.

I'm not prepared to pay to get onto a white-list.

If it becomes a problem, that I'll just have to forward via AAISP and let them deal with SMTP blacklisting.

[Afasoas]

Get a Synology drivestation or similar and run your own mailserver (and much more) from your house. The mail when you read it comes into your house anyway so it actually doesn't increase your bandwidth (and you'll be just like Hilary, running your own server free from the gaze of the FBI).

Running a mail server from a residential IP address is a bad idea. Most IP addresses in the dynamic range used by ISPs will be listed on the SORBS (Spam and Open Relay Blocking System) DUL (dynamic update list) and will either be rejected or spammed by most well configured mail servers.

Are the ip blocks from J Random Datacentre any more or less likely to get blacklisted than the VPS ones? They seem to be "shoot first ask questions later" for anything that isn't Google or Hotmail these days.

J Random Datacentre is probably less likely to get blacklisted simply on account of being more expensive and thus less attractive to spammers and people inadvertently setting up open relays.

[Kim]

Get a Synology drivestation or similar and run your own mailserver (and much more) from your house. The mail when you read it comes into your house anyway so it actually doesn't increase your bandwidth (and you'll be just like Hilary, running your own server free from the gaze of the FBI).

That's my approach, largely for historical reasons, but the vastly superior IMAP performance you get from a LAN-speed connection is a strong argument if you have large mail folders.  (It should also lead to a corresponding reduction in bandwidth, except mail's an insignificant badnwidth user by modern standards).

For sending, I just forward to AAISP's smarthost.  Not had a problem with that yet.

[Afasoas]

Using a smart host is an option, if I want to involve another party.
Thanks for the suggestion.