Changes between Version 2 and Version 3 of howto/MailServerTutorial


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Aug 1, 2010, 12:26:08 AM (14 years ago)
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magill@…
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  • howto/MailServerTutorial

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    11[wiki:howto <- Back to the HOWTO section]
    22
    3 = Tutorial for the setup of a mail server using MacPorts software =
     3= Tutorial for the setup of an electronic mail (E-mail) server using MacPorts software =
    44 * Audience: Advanced setup of Electronic Mail
    55 * Requires: MacPorts >= 1.9.1
     
    88
    99Despite its simple seeming exterior, Electronic Mail is a complex interaction of multiple different pieces of software from many sources.
    10 Fortunately, MacPorts has made the porting and installation of these parts "easy."
     10Fortunately, MacPorts has made the porting and installation of these parts on an OSX system "easy."
    1111
    1212Decisions made by the System Administrator (i.e. the person installing the software) control the various features available for mail delivery, mail reading and system maintenance.
    1313
    14 This document represents an attempt to describe a step by step process to convert OSX Snow Leopard (1.6) into a mail server for a Home user(s) or Small business.
     14This document represents an attempt to describe a step by step process to convert OSX Snow Leopard (1.6) running on something like a MacMini  into a mail server for a Home user(s) or Small business
     15(SoHo - Small office/Home office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_office/home_office).
    1516It attempts to gather into one location information which is useful or necessary to accomplish this goal.
     17Consequently, this document may seem a bit long-winded, but major portions of it can be skipped by those who are familiar with the details.
    1618
    1719The goal here is to create a system which utilizes MacPorts and native Apple software so that the resulting system becomes as "automagically" self-maintaing, and as immune to "gotchas' caused by Apple system updates as possible.
    1820
    19 
    20 See also the [wiki:howto/SetupFetchmail Fetchmail] ->  [wiki:howto/SetupPostfix Postfix] -> [wiki:howto/SetupDovecot Dovecot]
     21See also the MacPorts HowTos:  [wiki:howto/SetupFetchmail Fetchmail] ->  [wiki:howto/SetupPostfix Postfix] -> [wiki:howto/SetupDovecot Dovecot]
    2122for additional discussions and perspectives on the process.
    2223
    23 A list of Home pages for the various products used can be found at the end of this document:
     24A list of Home pages for the various products discussed can be found at the end of this document:
    2425
    2526=== Why did I write this? ===
    26 Even though I've been a Unix System Administrator for over 30 years and have done this many different times, every time I do it on a new system, I find that not only do I have to start over again from scratch because the technology has "changed" but that I have to keep trying to find my "old notes." .... :) And, invariably, I find I have "forgotten" to do something "FIRST" necessitating to start over again.
     27Even though I've been a Unix System Administrator for over 30 years and have done this many different times, every time I do it on a new system, I find that not only do I have to start over again from scratch because the technology has "changed" (or probably more correctly "morphed") but that I have to keep trying to find my "old notes." .... :) And, invariably, I find I have "forgotten" to do something "FIRST" necessitating one to start over again.
    2728
    2829This document represents "my favorite" Electronic Mail tools. All are "Open Software" of one form or another -- most under the GPL - http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
    2930
    3031There are other options available.
    31 == Installation ==
    3232
    33 === Step 1: '''Do a little planning''' ===
     33== Step 1: '''Do a little planning''' ==
    3434
    3535For a starting definition of terms and concepts....
     
    4242
    4343 * MUA - Mail User Agent aka Email Client - used by the end user to read their mail.
    44    * Apple Mail - mail readable from a single location or
     44   * Apple Mail - implying mail readable from a single location or computer.
    4545   * Webmail  - mail readable from any location via a web browser.
    46  * MTA
     46 * MTA - Mail Transfer Agent - used by two mail servers to exchange (i.e. send and receive) electronic mail over the Internet using the SMTP protocol.
    4747   * Postfix
    48    * Sendmail
    49    * Fetchmail
    50    * qmail
    51  * MDA - Dovecot / Procmail
     48 * MDA - Mail Delivery Agent -  This provides an interface between the MTA and the UserDovecot / Procmail
    5249   * POP
    5350   * IMAP
     51   * Fetchmail - a remote-mail retrieval and forwarding utility
    5452 * SASL - authorization
    5553 * Spam Assassin - Spam Scan
    56  *
    57 
     54 
    5855OSX 10.6 contains an installation of Procmail. This version can be utilized or disabled and replace by the MacPorts install.
    5956This document will describe the MacPorts installation of Procmail.
    6057
    61 Similarly, Apple Mail provides functionality similar to FetchMail and Spam Assassin.
     58One of the goals of this installation will be to provide both Local (single PC) and Remote Access (webmail) consequently we will configure IMAP as the primary protocol for the mail server and require that the Apple Mail client "leave mail on the server" in its configuration.
    6259
    63 == Configuration ==
     60Similarly, Apple Mail provides functionality similar to FetchMail and Spam Assassin. However, the advantage of using Fetchmail is that it both runs "constantly," not just when the mail client is launched, but that it collects mail
    6461
    65 Where are you going to put things...? Most everything can be put where MacPorts wants to put them with no problem.
     62== Step 2 "Where are you going to put things?" ==
     63
     64Most everything can be put where MacPorts and/or Apple wants to put them with no problem.
    6665The only item of particular concern is the location of the mail spool, as this could become potentially large and one might want to place it on a separate disk.
    6766
    68 Similarly, by configuring log files to be in the
     67Similarly, by configuring log files to be in default areas, makes them readily available to the Apple Utility, Console.
    6968
     69== Step 3 "Install and configure Apache2, MySQL, and PHP" ==
     70
     71I will assume that Apache2 has already been installed. That installation will (should have) include MySQL and PHP. See: [wiki:howto/MAMP]" (aka MAMP) for detailed instructions.
     72
     73== Step 4 Install and configure Procmail ==
     74Apple provides a procmail installation (as it does with the Apache web server. We will use the MacPorts versions of both these servers and their respective "dependencies."
     75
     76The MacPorts default installation of Procmail will configure itself to use /opt/local/ as the root of its storage system.
     77
     78=== '''TODO: still much more to write?''' ===
    7079== Optional Parts ==
     80
     81fetchmail is a full-featured IMAP and POP client which allows users to automatically download mail from remote IMAP and POP servers and save it into local mailboxes; there it can be accessed more easily
     82
    7183
    7284
    7385 * Procmail: http://www.postfix.org
    74  * FetchMail:
     86 * FetchMail: http://fetchmail.berlios.de/
    7587 * Dovecot: http://dovecot.org
    7688 * Procmail: http://procmail.org
     89 * Squirrel Mail: http://squirelmail.org
    7790
    7891 * SASL
     
    8598
    8699
    87 === '''TODO: What else can be done?''' ===
     100=== '''TODO: still much more to write?''' ===
    88101
    89102[wiki:howto <- Back to the HOWTO section]