
Setting up an email server in 2020 with OpenSMTPD and Dovecot - DyslexicAtheist
https://prefet.ch/blog/2020/email-server/
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microtherion
After a number of amateurish attempts at setting up a personal e-mail server
over the years, I ended up resorting to running a poste
([https://poste.io](https://poste.io)) docker container, which has worked
great so far.

But I found the section about SPF/DKIM/MARC still very useful, and wish there
were even more information about this. Testing whether e-mail is sendable or
receivable is pretty easy. Understanding these scores is much harder
(presumably because, if this were easily testable, it would also be easily
gameable).

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andreicek
Very nice read. But I’m a bit confused with the following:

> Because these companies probably use AI-powered account-aware filters, you
> should not put anything identifiable in the test email. For example, if your
> name is "John Smith", do not put "John" nor "Smith" in the message, and do
> not send it from an addres like john.smith@example.com.

Why is this so? Is this only for the first email?

~~~
microtherion
I found this intriguing as well. Two possible reasons:

* If your name is associated with some preexisting score, this might influence the chances of the mail getting accepted or rejected.

* Conversely the mail gets rejected, this might ding your reputation for other mail you send in the future.

