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Re: [LUG] Debian Mail server setup

 

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 19:59:20 +0100
Rob Beard wrote:

> Now before I start another Debian install, I was wondering if anyone on 
> the mailing list could suggest which packages to use?
> 
> What I would like to achieve is:
> 
> - Download mail from various pop3/imap mail accounts for each user on 
> the server

I have taken to using "getmail" rather than "fetchmail" - primarily because I 
couldn't find anything to detail how to get fetchmail to save to a maildir rather 
than an mbox file.

> - Send mail to my ISP (blueyonder) using standard SMTP,

Exim all the way!

> - Allow users on the network to login to the server ideally using IMAP4 
> with Thunderbird or *cough* Outlook *cough*.

Dovecot has been suggested on the list before.  I must admit to being tempted by 
courier simply because it has a "web admin tool" available in the Debian 
repositories, but after fart-arsing about trying to get the webadmin thing running 
smoothly, I gave Dovecot a try and haven't looked back!

> - Allow access to the mail using webmail (something along the lines of 
> Horde webmail).

I'm using Ilohamail.  The default configuration allows anyone to access any POP/IMAP 
account (providing they know the server details, username and password), but you can 
cut the login page down to allow only username and password quite easily.  Also it's 
in the Debian repository.

> - Virus/spam checking mail (used ClamAV on the SME server box for virus 
> checking before)

For incoming mail, getmail can pass through to a mailscanner (or pretty much 
anything really).

For outgoing... not sure.

> I'm assuming as a minimum I will need a basic install of Debian 3.1 
> along with the webserver components and maybe SQL server?

On mine I have Sarge (3.1) with main, contrib, non-free and non-US branches.  
Everything listed above is present in these repositories.  No webserver elements 
being used and no SQL.

> Any help on this would be great, would save my last bit of hair I 
> haven't torn out yet ;-)
> 
> Rob

I am only having one problem with my setup: I have not figured out how to setup 
getmail to only download an unread message once!  My setup is as follows: multiple 
pop3 accounts from which getmail retrieves emails (but leaves them on the ISP's 
server... for the time being).  When I first got it up and running I have 9 unread 
messages on one of my ISP pop accounts.  Every 5 minutes getmail would download 
them, and in the end I had 513 messages on my mail server!  It had downloaded the 
same 9 messages 57 times!  Unfortunately I haven't managed to fix this, mainly 
because it is of a lower importance to me than sending emails which works fine!

Grant.
-- 
Unix:  Some say the learning curve is steep, but you only have to climb it once.

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