Share you own experience regarding Mail Server setup

[alefattorini (Alessio Fattorini)]

Continuing the discussion from Email server setup:

Email server setup

I think many of us can share their own experience regarding emailserver setup.

Do you have some interesting mailserver setup to share? The big one, the famous one or the amazing one (like this)

How is your NethServer installation?

I was really exited to find Nethserver after a year of testing with different mailsolutions. Nethserver is more than only mail, but was perfect for our goal! An easy way to setup a mailserver and to manage for less-tech-admins

We have just finished the testing phase and have now presented it to our public. I live in an old hospital which we have squatted 40 years ago. It’s normal housing since 35 years already, but in our own management. That’s also the case with network and internet for 250 people. We already have a lot of services but stepped away from our own mailserver when GMail came into existence. Since the Snowden revelations we are motivated to bring mail in-house again and with Nethserver we did just that!

I like to mention some mail experts here @p.mall @bwdjames @jaapvdv @GG_jr @enzoturri

[enzoturri (Vincenzo Turri)]

Just find the time , I would write a howto for the transition from an extern mail server (such as Aruba) to nethserver minimizing (0) the stop of mail

[GG_jr (Gabriel GHEORGHIU)]

My first important contact with Linux was when I looked for free apps for an Email Server to replace the free version of the AXIGEN (Windows version) and for free OS to replace, where possible, MS Windows Servers.
At that time, I stopped at Zentyal as Email Server (and maybe as replacement for Windows AD).
Since then, I use Zentyal as Email Server for separate domains (even it is not designed for this), to provide email services for my company and for our customers.
In the meantime, I found NethServer (I read about NethServer on the Zentyal Forum) and I started to test it.
When NethServer reached the stable 6.8 version, I decided to test it in production.
For this, I have configured NS 6.8 as another Email Server for separate domains (even it is not designed for this), to provide email services for some of our customers.

The localisation in the network:
Placed in the DMZ Zone (ORANGE) of the UTM.
The access is granted through the Firewall of the UTM (Port Forwarding rules and Outgoing rules).

The hardware:
FUJITSU PRIMERGY RX1330 M1
1 x Intel® Xeon® CPU E3-1220 v3 @ 3.10GHz
8 GB RAM
2 x HDD SATA, 6 Gb/s, 1 TB, 7,200 rpm, 512n, hot-plug, 3.5-inch, business critical

The software:
NethServer release 6.8 (Final), kernel 2.6.32-642.3.1.el6.x86_64
RAID Software configured during NethServer installation

The email groupware:
SOGo groupware, Version 2.3.10

The installed modules (NethServer):

• Backup (Backup of configuration and data) - Backup to an USB Disk, incremental, full backup on Saturday, retention policy: 1 month
• Basic firewall (Configure network adapters and basic firewall)
• DNS and DHCP server (Daemons and tools for DHCP and DNS server)
• Email (Email server and filter)
• Intrusion Prevention System (Monitor and block network traffic for malicious activity)
• MySQL server (Configuration tools for MySQL)
• POP3 connector (Fetch messages from external email accounts with POP3 or IMAP access) - installed as dependencies, not used
• POP3 proxy (Intercept POP3 connections and scan messages for virus and spam)
• SMTP proxy (SMTP proxy)
• SOGo groupware (SOGo server and Thunderbird extensions)
• Statistics (Collect and analyse system statistics)
• Web server (Configuration tools for Apache web server)

The installed modules (Other):

• Fail2ban by Stephane de Labrusse with WHOIS Tool

The Email:

• Configured domains: 107
• Email addresses: 61
• Working email clients for desktop: Outlook 2010, 2013 (POP3 and /or IMAP), Thunderbird (POP3 and /or IMAP)
• Working email clients for mobile phones: Default Email clients for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone (POP3 and /or IMAP)
  NOTE:
• Not tested on BlackBerry (only on Zentyal)
• Not tested with Outlook app for Android and iPhone (but tested on Zentyal: didn’t work, as Exchange account type, only worked with POP3 or IMAP account type)

Till now, works everything like a charm!

EDIT 1:

• Not tested with Outlook app for Android and iPhone (but tested on Zentyal: didn’t work, as Exchange account type (worked but cannot read, open, download or save attachments), only worked with POP3 or IMAP account type).

[alefattorini (Alessio Fattorini)]

[mark_nl (Mark Verlinde)]

Something I wanted to share with the community is not a really impressive stuff. Just something i’m using for a long time now and it does a great job for home/SOHO user with a dynamic internet IP. It also is a nice workaround for a blocked 25 port.

It’s bSMTP (batched SMTP) also referred to as queued SMTP. It’s not well known because not all hosting providers / registrars provide this service. In the Netherlands its picking up popularity. (could be in other country’s it’s simply not allowed)

The principle is simple:
You host a mail-server at your hosting provider / registrar with a catch-all mailbox. The messages are received by this mail server and forwarded over SMTP to every dynamic.dnsprovider.com and port (eg 2525) of your choice.
Note the messages are received by the hosted mail-server on the fixed IP that can be traced to your registered domain name. (it’s not SMTP forwarding)

Pro’s

• All receiving/sending (SMTP) mail-servers are completely happy because the message is delivered to a IP traceable (DNS) to your domain. (eg mx record)
• With local port forwarding it possible to receive mail on the port of your choice, bypassing a blocked 25 port.
• You can open your receiving port to one IP, mail always comes from your (own) hosted mail-server. So knocking on your door to find a relay is futile.
• Simple configuration of your local mail-sever, it’s a straight forward SMTP mail server.
• You can setup your hosted mail server to catch a of lot spam (less traffic to you) and scan for viruses.
• High availability, if your local mail server is down the e-mails send to you are “buffered” on the hosted mail-server until your local server is up.

Con’s

• Delay of delivering. It’s hard to measure, guess in my case it’s about 30 sec delay.
• Planning of spam filters. If you let your hosted mail-server catch spam you have to figure out the best thresholds for this.
• Speed, not really a issue in a home/SOHO environment.

This are my 2 cents

[davidep (Davide Principi)]

Today I’ve found this service, bSMTP running on my Fedora Desktop 24 and was asking myself what is it?

Thank you for sharing your experience with it!

[rolf (Rolf Bakker)]

Why I want to have my own mailserver:
I have my own domain (myname.nl), my wife has hers (wife.nl).
I’ve got 3 children, and at their birth, I registered domains for them (child1.nl, etc).

The eldest child can send and receive mails for herself, but I like to keep an eye on it.
So she has a user of her own, but her mail gets aliased to me and my wife as well. As she grows up, I can delete the alias for her privacy.

The younger two don’t e-mail for themselves, but their mail-address is used for their purposes (school, sportsclub etc).
So, these mail-addresses are only aliases for my wife and me.
When they grow older, I can make them a user, like child1.

And then I have aliases parents@child1.nl etc, forwarding to me and my wife.

There’s no way I can achieve this setup using the default tolls from my ISP, let alone gmail.
So, that’s why I host at home.

[alefattorini (Alessio Fattorini)]

Sorry for the late response but thanks for your sharing @mark_nl and @rolf