Mail server....quick questions
 

I have been searching LQ.org and Google for a few days now, trying to find some guidance. We're moving all web services from windows to linux (some have already been on linux for some time). I've got just about everything moved over, except mail.

This mail transition has been an interesting one. After searching, I cannot find a "how-to" that is more than 25% relevant to my situation. I figure if I can get a push one way or another that I will be able to get this figured out. I've never done mail on linux before.

My mail server has to be virtual (meaning, I don't want to create console users), and I have to have IMAP. I get the impression that postfix is a good choice for a MTA, and I'm not sure what is the best IMAP daemon. From what I hear, There's Cyrus, Courier and UW IMAP.

I hear that Cyrus has good virtual support, but then you have to configure and install sasl. I am running MDK 9.2, so installed the imap package on the cd, and tried to get it to work. I'm not sure which IMAP server it is. There's no cyrus.conf and the imapd man page says "4.2 Berkeley Distribution" ... so I have no idea what is installed...

Do I have to create users on both the imap and the postfix side to make this work? How do I integrate the two? I'm really lost.

Personally I like SquirrelMail as an IMAP front end. I also use postfix. 99% of the mail servers I install are MS 5.5 Replacements. I usually configure the box to use the "console" users you refer to. Its easy and pretty streight forward. I myself came from an Isp that used sendmail and had 13000 hardcoded users. It ran fine. I suppose that the virtual users that you refer to would be easier but I'm not so sure. I am in the midst of setting up a server with virtual users in the maildirs directory instead of in the spool/mail directory. I'll let you know. One good thing about currier imap is the ability to use a mysql address database. thats cool!!. Currier uses the maildirs system of set up though so go to postfix'es home page and get the instructions. They are pretty strait forward.

Well, I don't want console users....long story. As far as I understand, Squirrel Mail is not an IMAP server, but an IMAP client that runs on a web server. ...it's a web site.

Thanks for the response.

Thats correct, Squirrelmail is the imap client thats what makes it a front end. For the Imap server I don't think you will go wrong with Currier Imap. It uses the maildirs type of delivery so you should be good to go.

Hmm....

Well, I'd rather not have system users, but I'd rather have email than none at all. How does this all work if postfix supports virtual users, and imap supports its users. It's supposed to act as one system...a "mail server" -- I'm a little lost. Do I have to create users on both sides, both the imap and the smtp (postfix) side? Is courier hard to install?

Here's my other dilemma, and why I want virtual domains (if possible):
We host two newspaper domains (our paper, and our child paper). Both have the same accounts, but they're managed entirely by different people. Both have to have an editor account, for example. If the email is based on console users, how is that supposed to work? I can't have two seperate editor accounts. I'm not really stuck on anything, so long as it does what I need it to. But multiple domain support is essential.

As you can see, I'm a bit lost! I've never set up a mail server on linux before.

You don't need to use anything other than the Imap that comes with mandrake. What you need tocreat is a virtual domain and point it at regular users. Thats what it sounds like anyway. Have you checked the Postfix site there are tons of ways you can solve your problem. Once you get there read some of the solutions and pick the one that sounds right. As is the case in most things linux.... There are several correct ways of doning things.

But see, that's where I'm lost. I have checked the postfix site, but I'm still lost.

What is the imap with mandrake 9.2? Is it courier? Is it cyrus? What the heck is it? Maybe I'm making this harder than it is, but I'm just completely lost.

Do you have any suggestions or directions I might go? As I said earlier, I've been scanning through posts for days, it seems. I'm still lost.

I do appreciate your responses. You have any ideas?

Here is the Red hat tutorial. Its prety good and will get you going in the right direction

http://www.redhat.com/support/resour...WTO/book1.html

then this one will help you secure it.

http://www.impsec.org/email-tools/pr...-security.html

Hope this helps. I'm actually putting together a website to answer these questions. It took me a long time to gather the info needed to build servers that we need. Stuff like Samba, mail, web and others. For someone that has never done it, It can be a daunting task.

Any luck yet????

Actually, no. I've been preoccupied with college finals, and just barely finished them. The mail issue is definitely still on the burner.

Do you know, by chance, which imap daemon installs by default on MDK 9.2? It has no version information as I can tell. Courier?

I'll keep you posted!!

I'm not exactly sure what version of Imap it is but I do know its not Courier.

You should look for Courier and Postfix
I have configured a
Courier IMAP+Postfix+Virtual Users+Antivirus+Antispam+Squirrelmail
all on redhat but since I have being using Mandrake more frequently I know it the same. Just open google and search for courier and postfix. You will get complete howto. You may try the Postfix site for virtual users. If you still have problems you can ask me.

Manpreetnehra, my impression of your message is that courier + postfix is capable of virtual users. I thought courier was incapable of such a thing. I was under the impression that cyrus was the only one.

Will write back after I get some more time to work with this, on a less busy day at work.

Thanks for the messages.