Linux Mail Server Configuration
 

Hi,
I am using fedora and I wish to configure mail server. Actually the server is exclusive for the mail server, so it can accept traffic.

My question is how to configure mail servers in linux. I had tried many search pages, but I didnt get anything concrete. btw, I am new to Linux. Also an important requirement is to configure the mail server to send bulk mails.(Sorry to say this, but this is part of my job, sorry guys). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It would be great if any one can explain the steps in an easy way.
thanks

Hi.
There are numerous ways of setting up a mailserver. The first thing you should do, is to select an MTA(Mail Transfer Agent).
Sendmail, Postfix, Qmail to mention the ones most often heard of. Personally I went for Postfix, and found that to be
quite easy to configure and get running. I only used Google and the documentation at www.postfix.org
That should help you get an email server running.

When you say bulk email, what exactly do you mean? Mailing lists with many participants, or just a server that
sends out tons of commercial email? (SPAM)

Geir O.

Thanks for the reply.
BTW how do I check what MTA is installed in my machine?

If nothing is installed, I will install postfix and try it out. Bulk mails means sending many mails at a time to people, similar to commercial emails. Is there any special way for this?

Thanks

Well, I don't know really how to check, but if you start in a shell, and type: send then TAB on your keyboard, to see if it completes the sendmail statement. Similar with postfix of qmail.
I have never really had to check what I have installed.

Well bulk emailing, as you so carefully put it, could be done using the aliases file. (It will become clear what that means, when you install and configure.) That's a simple way of making a mailing list.
I do hope that the receivers of the emails have subscribed to get those mails in some sort. Unsolicited (not sure how it's spelled) mail is a true pain.

-Geir O.

write this command in terminal

telnet localhost 25

If you get an answer from mail server, it will write mail server's name and version. This means you already have a mail server that works. SO you can configure it in your needs

If you get an Connection Refused error, this means you have not a mail server or you have one but it is not working yet... To check for a mail server is installed, write this in terminal

rpm -aq | grep sendmail
rpm -aq | grep postfix

Note for QMail: QMail doesnt comes with Fedora

I'm really curious to hear OP's answer to this question.

Yeah, I figured this was a very valid question, and from what I gather in his/her later
posts, commercials are what he/she means.
Call me crazy, but I'm not exactly eager to help someone configure a server that is
to send tons of spam to people.

-Geir O.

Thanks guys,
I am sure, even I dont like spamming. Its strictly to send mails to the registered agents and not to the common people. If its like other spams, I would not have accepted to work on it. I know and I understand your feelings about how it feels to get a spam.

Once again I emphasize that its only for may be 300 people or so called agents who are registered and nothing else.
Thanks