Best Server for Mass Mailing Software?

smiller

New Email
Hello,

We are currently sending our newsletter out via the program "1-2-all." We have had significant problems with our server, as it keeps timing out and clogging up with our mailings.

We have about 300,000 subscribers and would like to send at about 5,000 an hour.

Currently we have a VPS with the following specs:

40 GB Space
1 B RAM
312 GB Transfer

Our server company is trying to convince us that we need to upgrade to a dedicated server. Is this true?

Are there any other configurations that we can increase on our current VPS in order to get this to work?

PULLING MY HAIR OUT, PLEASE HELP! You can respond here, or, preferably, e-mail me at: smiller@360ep.com

Sarah
 

EQ Admin

EQ Forum Admin
Staff member
For most mail servers the speed of your server won't be bound to the stats above but to the speed of the disks (not the amount of space available on the disks).

5000 emails/hour is easy with a semi-modern hardware.

Do you have any requirements in addition to the number of emails per hour?

Do you have an in-house tech who can install qmail on a linux server?

If so, try qmail + ezmlm. qmail: Life with qmail ezmlm: ezmlm-idx Home

If you still want to outsource your mailing lists you can try MailChimp for free.
 

smiller

New Email
Is the speed of the disks the RAM? If so, what kind of RAM will we need to host 310,000 messages, set at a throttle of 5,000/hour.
Our requirements are that we get 5K out the door without clogging our server.
We do NOT have an in-house tech. Currently, however, we have exim which is supposed to be comparable/better than qmail...

is that true?
 

EQ Admin

EQ Forum Admin
Staff member
RAM is physical memory. Disk speed will be a number such as 15000 rpm.

Most likely the 40GB of space is more than what you need and smaller/faster disks would be an improvement.

The disks are the biggest factor. As for OS/MTA, use what you can best support.
 

smiller

New Email
Hi,

Thanks so much.
That being said, do you know of any server companies that you might reccomend to host our emailing software? We are looking for a company that offers system administration, as well.

Best,
 

emaileh

New Email
Hi Sarah,

Having done a lot of consulting work with bulk email marketers and web hosting firms, I'd say that a VPS account is most likely too weak for the volume you are dealing with. Depends partly on the overall server specs. and VPS software that's running, but we'd still never recommend a VPS for a client with your requirements.

That said, it's hard to suggest a firm solution without knowing more about your company size, budget, etc., however here's some general advice:

Compare the costs of going with a dedicated server (including staff support) and your software vs. using a reputable third-party solution like Constant Contact.

An advantage of using a reputable third-party firm, besides the ease-of-use and not having to worry about the server(s), is that they proactively manage their email reputation. With the volume of mail that you are sending out, the risks of getting listed on an email blacklist are pretty high, even if you are using permission marketing (double-opt-in).

If the third-party option listed above doesn't sound right for you, or you have the resources to self-manage, I'd tend to agree with your hosting provider that a dedicated server is the way to go.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Rob
 
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