Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Fifth - Email
Now, I was clueless about web servers (other than the microsquat crapware) untill I started my journey into Linux...and I was even more clueless about setting up and running a mail server...
There are things like MTAs (Mail Transfere Agents) and MDAs, (Mail Dilevery Agents)...
So in doing my research, I found 2 programs, Postfix (there is a great book, "Postfix: The Definitive Guide (Paperback) by Kyle D Dent") and Dovecot, and I am sure O'Reilly has a book on that too, but it was easy in comparrison...
Postfix is an MTA and Dovecot is an MDA.
There is also something called "Procmail" but I have no idea what it is...
You can also use SquirrelMail for webmail access (remember, you now have your own Web Server up and running...) - I haven't done the SquirrelMail thing yet, but I will soon...
Postfix was easy enough to set up, but there were some config issues. The information you can find on the web and on IRC is easy to understand and, if you follow the advice, will get you running.
Dovecot was easy enough to set up. Once postfix was running, everything else was easy...Dovecot will support POP3 and IMAP, but because of security reasons, I suggest you use IMAP...
I am still having issues with IMAP, I won't be shy about telling you the things I like and hate about any of the programs I use...but with IMAP you have the ability to have multiple folders on the server, so you can create rules and move mail around. Mine, however, won't let me create sub folders to my folders...a pain to be sure.
I found out that this is actually fixed in a newer version of Postfix and a setting...there is a setting for outlook and outlook express too, use them both for mixed networks.
But other than that, local folders work, so I have Thunderbird (easy and simple) running as the client, and I get all my email at 4 different addresses and 2 different sources...
My son and wife have email on this box as well.
There are settings to handle all the aliasing to get email from all your owned domains and any user on your box...
Really good stuff.
There are things like MTAs (Mail Transfere Agents) and MDAs, (Mail Dilevery Agents)...
So in doing my research, I found 2 programs, Postfix (there is a great book, "Postfix: The Definitive Guide (Paperback) by Kyle D Dent") and Dovecot, and I am sure O'Reilly has a book on that too, but it was easy in comparrison...
Postfix is an MTA and Dovecot is an MDA.
There is also something called "Procmail" but I have no idea what it is...
You can also use SquirrelMail for webmail access (remember, you now have your own Web Server up and running...) - I haven't done the SquirrelMail thing yet, but I will soon...
Postfix was easy enough to set up, but there were some config issues. The information you can find on the web and on IRC is easy to understand and, if you follow the advice, will get you running.
Dovecot was easy enough to set up. Once postfix was running, everything else was easy...Dovecot will support POP3 and IMAP, but because of security reasons, I suggest you use IMAP...
I am still having issues with IMAP, I won't be shy about telling you the things I like and hate about any of the programs I use...but with IMAP you have the ability to have multiple folders on the server, so you can create rules and move mail around. Mine, however, won't let me create sub folders to my folders...a pain to be sure.
I found out that this is actually fixed in a newer version of Postfix and a setting...there is a setting for outlook and outlook express too, use them both for mixed networks.
But other than that, local folders work, so I have Thunderbird (easy and simple) running as the client, and I get all my email at 4 different addresses and 2 different sources...
My son and wife have email on this box as well.
There are settings to handle all the aliasing to get email from all your owned domains and any user on your box...
Really good stuff.
