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When email fails

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by wesley.chin

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What kind of fall back plan could there be if email fails?

5 replies

by robo_dev

A backup for email could be setting up gmail accounts for everybody.

Or alternately, providing blackberries if cost is no issue.

Many ISPs have very good email capabilities (such as AT&T).

by wesley.chin

That would all be well and good if the email server/ISP is running properly. What if the email server/ISP is down?

by robo_dev

that depends on it or not.

For example, if there are customer orders that arrive by email, then you might want have an alternate mail server at an alternate site, on an alternate telco provider. All very costly, but if the alternative is losing money or customers, it may be worth it.

At one firm I do a lot of work with, they have issued cell phones and/or blackberries to all critical personnel as well as to all IT personnel.

In a DR/BCP scenario, employee-to-employee email and messaging can happen to either cell phones or blackberries (but voice is the more likely option).

At the same firm, Email servers are mirrored in a hot-standby DR site, and a simple DNS change at the ISP can make the email servers at the DR site start picking up/sending mail.

by charliespencer

What kind of failure would defeat dual mirrored e-mail servers at widely separate locations? Are you desperate enough to pay for a redundant off-premises 'hot site'?

by dumphrey

since in order to comply with UL certification (we do not have Yet) the email for our messaging system must have a redundant option. I really do not feel like paying a ton of money in software, hardware and licensing (since we can not afford to atm) for an Exchange cluster or even dual front single back configuration.
I am looking for a "simple" *nix or BSD turnkey mail server solution to put in place as a fail over. This can be done manually with no great concern.
Also, I am researching fail over for our T1 to a consumer DSL line, I would assume Cisco can sell this to me, and it could replace our aged Pix (NOOOO! I love you Pix!).
The idea is if the T1 goes down, this business will not be able to send/receive email, since the Exchange server lives at another site connected by Pix to Pix PVC. this is unacceptable, so a solution, even if for send only mail is needed. I will post back with any options I come across.

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