how do i setup a SMTP server?

Question

i have a static ip already and ubuntu 9.04/ ms server 2003 installed. whats next?

Answer 1

There are a number of things you need to do. Are you looking to host your own email?



The next stage is to install SMTP software - there are a few choices, with Postfix being popular. You will need to configure the SW to accept mail for your domain, and look at what you can do to secure it.



You will need to open a port on your router and forward it to your server.



You will need two DNS entries as well for your domain - an MX record to inform other servers where the mail server for you domain is, and an A record to provide the IP address.



If you intend to use the server to send mail, you will need to talk to your ISP about a reverse DNS entry - that reverse lookup is a security feature used by many servers to confirm you are who you claim to be.



To actually collect mail once it has arrived, the easy way s to create users on the system. You wiill also want to install POP software or IMAP to allow other PCs to colelct mail. Again this will need securing if you want to access email when elsewehere, and the appropriate ports opened and forwarded on your router.



Once you have all that setup, you will need to think about getting a backup mail server, so that if your PC is offline, people can still at least get email on its way to you. If you have a friend doing similar, you could perhaps be a backup for each other. It would be a good idea if you used different ISPs though.



Finally, one running, don't turn the server off and leave it off. People won't like getting bounces!

Answer 2

Well It's really simple to install an SMTP server for personal or business use on Linux (Ubuntu).



First off...open up your terminal.



Type the following command :



sudo apt-get install postfix







It might ask you for a password. If it does, simply enter your account login password.



Once all headers have been fetched and downloaded, it will ask you a few questions such as your computername (which you could make "localhost") etc...just some basic questions.



For further configuration settings, type the following into the terminal as a new command :



sudo dpkg-reconfigure postfix







And that's it...

You have your own personal SMTP server running on Linux (Ubuntu).



So you might be wondering how this could be of any use to you...or you might even be wondering how you should set up your email client to use your personal or network Linux computer to send mail via this local server.



Well...having your own SMTP server has many great advantages. It is much faster, much more reliable, and you can go back and check all log files if necessary. I primarily use this local SMTP server for the PHP mail() function which allows me to quickly and efficiently send emails via a PHP function.



If you are planning on using this with your email client such as Opera M2, Thunderbird, Outlook, whatever, simply set the SMTP host name to be "localhost" or whatever your computername is for the Linux box. It should be sending through port 25 with no secure authentication at all.



After installing this...I managed to send emails out to my Gmail and Yahoo accounts in litterally 3 seconds. No jokes. That's extremely quick.



Have fun...and feel free to post your comments here.

Answer 3

Step 1

With your Windows installation disk in the drive, go to Add/Remove Programs. The third box on the left is your Optional Components box. Clicking that will load a separate box with a list of services to install.

Step 2

Check the IIS option and leave all other defaults checked. Removing any checks will uninstall components that already exist on your computer.If you wish to see what the IIS option will install, highlight it and click the Details button.

Step 3

Click "OK" to begin installation of the IIS components. This will activate certain services. If you have modified the services that run on your computer (i.e., disabled services), installation will complete incorrectly. The services dependent on the SMTP server are Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Security Accounts Manager and IIS Admin (will install with component). It is a good idea to check if these services are activated and running before doing the install.To do this, go to Run and type "Services.msc." When the services screen comes up, scroll down to each one and verify that it has started and is set to either Automatic or Manual. Then close the Services panel and continue with the installation. Do not worry if you did not see those services listed; they will install on their own.



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