Email Servers

[Paul Dubinsky]

At 02:43 AM 3/4/2004, you wrote:

>Message: 7
>Subject: email servers
>From: Aaron <aamehl at bezeqint.net>
>To: fedora <fedora-list at redhat.com>
>Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:40:28 +0200
>Reply-To: fedora-list at redhat.com
>
>Hi all,
>
>I have been experiencing email problems, I found out from a friend that
>my ISP has changed a lot of settings (due to the various worms and
>viruses.
>
>He setup his own mail server on his doze box. I thought to do the same
>so when I installed FC1 I checked email server.
>
>But I still have no clue what I installed I gather sendmail.
>
>For a newbie is the a good choice or should I be using something else.
>
>This is more a get my feet wet experience than anything else, but I do
>want to come out of this with some 'email servering' skills and a system
>that works.
>
>suggestions
>
>thanks
>Aaron
>

Sendmail and/or Postfix is installed. First, though, I would install 
webmin, the browser based linux admin program. It's available in a no-arch 
rpm that works fine on FC1 from http://webmin.org . It helps you avoid 
mucking about in the conf files which for Sendmail and Postfix can be 
*very* dense and intimidating.

I have used both Sendmail and Postfix. I started with Sendmail and then 
moved to Postfix for security reasons - Sendmail's security history has 
been checkered to say the least. Postfix was written to tighten up the 
security problems.

As suggested you have to get the O'Reilley book for Sendmail or the SAMS 
book for Postfix. I'm sure you can get either up without the printed 
reference but I doubt that you'll know much when you're done. Note that the 
Postfix book is about a third the size of the Sendmail book. That should 
tell you something.

Beware that both can set you up as an open relay with a default install if 
you're not careful. That means that you could become an outgoing mail 
server for every spammer in the world. After you get running your first 
stop should be http://www.ordb.org/ to test your install to see if it is an 
open relay. If it is, you'll get guidance on how to close it.

Good luck and enjoy,
Paul


"We have the power to do any damn fool thing we want to do,
and we seem to do it about every ten minutes."
         J. William Fulbright , quoted in Time (New York, Feb. 4, 1952).

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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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Version: 6.0.604 / Virus Database: 384 - Release Date: 3/1/2004