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I was wondering how to distinguish inbound from outbound SMTP transactions.

Normally this would be a straightforward question, however my SMTP server has to handle a special case:

  • Other domains might point to my MX domain (mail address aliases)

What outbound criteria should I check for? Is it as simple as checking if the transaction is authenticated (via the AUTH command), or do any other rules apply (derived from the FROM/RCPT addresses)? I guess alias addresses can be detected by resolving their MX?

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  • The side that sends the first TCP packet with the SYN flag set is who determines if it is inbound or outbound. Some more context here would have made this a better question.
    – Zoredache
    Dec 6, 2012 at 23:36
  • What are you talking about? I'm talking about SMTP not TCP. A SMTP connection can be inbound or outbound (relay) regardless of your SYN flags.
    – Era
    Dec 7, 2012 at 5:05

1 Answer 1

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If the sender is in your domain, it's outbound.

If the recipient is in your domain, it's inbound.

If neither are in your domain, it's relay, and drop it like a hot potato.

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  • What if both are in my domain?
    – Era
    Dec 7, 2012 at 5:23
  • Then it's entirely local.
    – Michael Hampton
    Dec 7, 2012 at 5:24
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    I guess I'm just over-thinking this...
    – Era
    Dec 7, 2012 at 5:36

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