question on SPF for spam control

[Chuck Swiger]

On Aug 21, 2006, at 12:13 PM, David Banning wrote:
> I have just been looking over the SPF Website to list my site as a  
> non-spam
> site. My understanding is that increasingly mail servers will be  
> listed
> as spam if they are -not- listed with some credible source.
>
> So I thought I would list my site with;
>
> http://www.openspf.org
>
> I have two questions.
>
> 1. Is this a good idea?

The primary utility for this is that it reduces the amount of forged  
traffic involving domains which publish an SPF record; note that this  
is useful regardless of whether you actually list your site at  
www.openspf.org.

> 2. The site says that I must update my "zone file" with the  
> following string;
>
> 3s1.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 a mx ptr mx:banning.ca mx:mail.banning.ca  
> mx:skytracker.ca mx:mail.skytracker.ca mx:skytrackercanada.com  
> mx:mail.optexstaging.com mx:optexstaging.com mx:smartstage.com  
> mx:vondette.net ?all"
>
> but I am at odds as to which zone file this would go in. Is there a
> resource for this, or could someone just let me know what needs to be
> done with this.
>
> The FreeBSD site and makes reference to "zone files", not -one-  
> zone file.
> Even if I know which file, I would need some guidance to where in  
> the file.

Well, you need to understand a bit about DNS:

    http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/network- 
dns.html

Basically, you would add that TXT record to the zone file for  
3s1.com, or have whoever is doing your DNS handle it (xname.org?)...

-- 
-Chuck