[Editor's Note: Charm.net, OSG's internet provider, sent the following announcement. This is going to affect many of you whom I would like to keep in touch with. Please check out the orbs.org site. If your isp is listed, please ask them to close the open relays ... Jody is right about the spam. It's getting out of hand.]

From: Jody McGinness@charm.net

Due to the increasing flow of spam effecting our mail server, we are going to institute a new open-relay filter. An open relay is a server that allows anyone to send mail through its outgoing port. Leaving this port open to relaying is the largest contributing factor to the amount of spam on the Internet today. This change will scan all incoming e-mails against a database of known open relay servers, and reject those that are listed in the database.

The relay database we will be referencing is called the Orbz open relay database, and it is one of the most extensive and trustworthy on the Net. You can find out more information about this filtering process at:

http://www.orbz.org/

The filter will be put in place early Wednesday morning.

Thank You.
Jody McGinness
Systems Adminstrator
Charm Net, Inc.

[Editor's Note: After Wednesday 11/21/01, it will not be possible to send us email from a server on the Orbz list. If your email is returned, please contact your ISP, to let them know they are listed as an open relay. Orbz provides an automated process for re-checking a server that has been listed once the server adminstrator has closed the relay.]