On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:31:15 +0530, Pramathesh Ambasta
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Ours is a small network.
> I would like to set up a linux machine to:
> 1. act as a local mail server (i.e. distribute mail to and from clients
> on the local network)
I presume you want a pop and/or imap server for your users to be able
to download their email.
> 2. act as a passthrough for external mail - all outbound mail is sent to
> this server. THis server then sends the mail to the external address by
> using the smtp server of an ISP (since we do not have our own IP address
> etc.). SImilarly the server receives mail from outside. Clients on the
> network pick up the mail from our server.
This means that you will have to run a smtp (MTA) server.
> How can this be done?
I see the other responses you have gotten pointing to differnt server
solutions. There are several POP/IMAP and SMTP servers available on
Linux. I would strongly recommend that instead of compiling your own
from source code, you install the binary package (rpm or deb or tgz)
for the software you want.
I need the answers to the following questions before I can actually
point you in the right direction:
* What Linux distribution are you running?
* How many users do you have using the system?
* How many incoming mails do you expect every day?
* How is your mail server connected to the internet? Dil-up line? DSL?
* Is the mail server inside or outside your firewall?
* Does this mail server service request for one domain or multiple domains?
POP
-----
There are several POP servers available. Popular ones include Courier and Cyrus.
IMAP
------
IMAP servers have definite advantages over POP server especially for
users who roam. (<gross similification>)In IMAP the folders are stored
on the server-side. In POP the mails are downloaded to the client and
deleted from the server(</gross simplification>). Popular IMAP servers
include Courier, Cyrus and WU-IMAPd.
SMTP
-------
With SMTP servers we enter the domain of religious wars. An SMTP
server is just a transport. Users send their outgoing mail to the SMTP
server and it does routing of the email to the aprorpriate server.
There are several SMTP servers available with different features.
Popular ones include postfix, qmail, exim and sendmail. IMO, out of
all of these the easiest to configure is exim.
> I have attemptd to configure Postfix to send mail
> using another ISP but the mail bounces back from the ISP with an error
> message ("this domain is not allowed to be relayed through this MTA")
You cannot just configure your upstream mail relay to be anything. You
must use a mail relay which your ISP asks you to use. Talk to your ISP
and find out what mail relay (i.e. IP address or name of the server)
you must be using.
No offence, but I am disappointed with the replied you have received
so far. Three people have been recommending 3 mutually incompatible
solutions. Setting up a proper mailserver is a process that requires
skill, practice, knowledge and patience. There are just too many
variables in the equation. There are mail server solutions for the
hundreds of thousands of users and there are mail solutions for 10
users. Your solution will depend on your specific need. I recommend a
slow, cautious approach. There are many bells and whistles you can add
to a mail set up (smtp-auth, imaps, pop-before-smtp,
spamassassin,...). First install the basic system in place and then
you can figure out how to add the bells and whistles later.
Thaths
--
"You don't quit your job because you don't like it, you just go in and do it
really half-assed." -- Homer J. Simpson
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