Is this possible to do?

[XYZ500]

If you have two hosting servers, can you set up your vB forum on one of them and set up mailing on the other one?

So your forum files and database is hosted on server A. But all mailing (sending activation emails, password reset emails, sending mails to members from vB admincp etc.) all gets handled by server B.

Reason to do this is because my forum tends to get a lot of DDoS attacks so I want to do my best to hide the IP of server A and in order to do that I have to cut off all mailing from server A.

So can this be done what I described above?

[Dave]

Sure thing, just change the SMTP configuration in vBulletin to point to GoDaddy.
I do the same to hide the origin IP in the email headers.

[XYZ500]

Sure thing, just change the SMTP configuration in vBulletin to point to GoDaddy.
I do the same to hide the origin IP in the email headers.

Please explain in a little detail.
GoDaddy has nothing to do with my site. Or are you asking me to do this to just hide the origin IP and use the same server for mailing to? Or did you mean I should point the STMP configuration in the vB to point to the second server that I want to use for mailing?

[Dave]

My bad regarding the GoDaddy thing, I still had the thread title of an other thread in mind.

You indeed change the SMTP configuration in vBulletin settings to point to the second server. At the second server you have to configure the SMTP server to exclude the origin IP headers.

[XYZ500]

My bad regarding the GoDaddy thing, I still had the thread title of an other thread in mind.

You indeed change the SMTP configuration in vBulletin settings to point to the second server. At the second server you have to configure the SMTP server to exclude the origin IP headers.

"You indeed change the SMTP configuration in vBulletin settings to point to the second server."
In order to make the mailing work.

"At the second server you have to configure the SMTP server to exclude the origin IP headers."
In order to hide the IPs.

Correct?

If this is correct, I don't need to do the second. Second server is well protected. I just do not want the IPs of first server getting out.

Do I need to do anything on the second server to in order to make the mailing work? Or simply get the SMTP details of the second server and put it in the vB settings? I have cPanel on the second server if that matters.

[Dave]

Yes, correct.

As far as I know the origin IP headers are enabled by default in the email headers which means that if you want to send an email from server A through server B, server B will include the IP of server A in the email headers. You should just do a test email to confirm this and configure the settings of your mail server on server B if it's the case.

You need valid SMTP credentials configured in the vBulletin settings of server A, that's all you need.

[XYZ500]

Yes, correct.

As far as I know the origin IP headers are enabled by default in the email headers which means that if you want to send an email from server A through server B, server B will include the IP of server A in the email headers. You should just do a test email to confirm this and configure the settings of your mail server on server B if it's the case.

You need valid SMTP credentials configured in the vBulletin settings of server A, that's all you need.

I tested this.

The email went through the other hosting's server. I checked the email headers when I received the email. Along with the IPs of other server B, I could find the IP of my server A as well.

What do you suggest me to do now to completely hide the IPs of server A?

[Dave]

It depends what mail server you use.
For Postfix http://john.cuppi.net/removehide-x-originating-ip-header-in-postfix-mail-server/

Just Google "-your mail server- hide x-originating-ip header".