Distributed or centralized mail configuration?

[Carlo Bolchini]

In comp.mail.misc you write:

>What are the advantages/disadvantages of a distributed mail configuration 
>versus a centralized mail configuration? Which is easier to maintain, which 
>is more secure, and which is more "standard"?

	Standard? You talked about configuration, which must
	meet your local requirements (or am I wrong?).
	I think there is nothing standard in configurations.
	My experience told me that is much simpler to maintain
	a centralized mail configuration, not a distributed one.
	This way you have to maintain only few "mail servers"
	and do a little on the other nodes. I mean, for example
	you have to work hardly on few hosts to configure/maintain/etc.
	and have a simple and possibly equal configuration
	on the other sites. I think this fact should be clear.
	Using centralized configurations you have to configure/etc.
	at least two hosts, one for backup in case one goes down,
	and do some Name Server config/maint. (in case you're working
	with Unix). BTW, what kind of systems/platforms you plan
	to use?

>What are the main reasons for a domain to switch from a distributed mail 
>configuration to a centralized mail configuration? Do you know of a domain
>that actually switched?

	We are actually switching to a new domain. Since the number of
	hosts we're planning to connect is high, it would be a suicide
	to maintain/configure/etc.. every site with a distributed solution.
	In part we have switched to a centralized solution and we will
	convert totally after the switching will be finished.

	I replyed to the group because I hope that could
	be intereseting to open a discussion on this - it
	interests me too :-).

-- 
Carlo Bolchini					Phone  : +39-2-7575242
Computer Science Dept, Milan University 	Fax    : +39-2-76110556
Via Moretto da Brescia, 9			Telex  : 335199 - MIDSII
I-20133 Milano - Italy - `92 Europe		E-Mail : carlo at ghost.unimi.it