Changed page "howto/MailServerTutorial" by magill@mcgillsociety.org from 98.140.106.66* Page URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/howto/MailServerTutorial> Diff URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/howto/MailServerTutorial?action=diff&version=2> Revision 2 Comment: continued development of the original document -------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<-------- Index: howto/MailServerTutorial ========================================================================= --- howto/MailServerTutorial (version: 1) +++ howto/MailServerTutorial (version: 2) @@ -1,38 +1,71 @@ - - [wiki:howto <- Back to the HOWTO section] = Tutorial for the setup of a mail server using MacPorts software = - - * Audience: Advanced setup of an E-mail server + * Audience: Advanced setup of Electronic Mail * Requires: MacPorts >= 1.9.1 - + * Created: 31 July 2010; Revision: 31 July 2010 == Introduction == -This 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 or Small business. +Despite its simple seeming exterior, Electronic Mail is a complex interaction of multiple different pieces of software from many sources. +Fortunately, MacPorts has made the porting and installation of these parts "easy." + +Decisions 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. + +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. It attempts to gather into one location information which is useful or necessary to accomplish this goal. -http://wiki2.dovecot.org describes Dovecot V2.0 -- including an excellent "Generic information about mail servers!" +The 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. + See also the [wiki:howto/SetupFetchmail Fetchmail] -> [wiki:howto/SetupPostfix Postfix] -> [wiki:howto/SetupDovecot Dovecot] for additional discussions and perspectives on the process. A list of Home pages for the various products used can be found at the end of this document: - +=== Why did I write this? === +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. + +This 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 + +There are other options available. == Installation == === Step 1: '''Do a little planning''' === -Consider the software functionality which you might want to install. +For a starting definition of terms and concepts.... +http://wiki2.dovecot.org describes Dovecot V2.0 -- including an excellent "Generic information about mail servers!" -MTA/MUA/Security/ +An excellent graphical depiction of the Electronic Mail process can be found at: +http://workaround.org/ispmail/lenny/bigpicture -OSX 10.6 contains an installation of Procmail. +Consider the software functionality which you might want to provide and the software necessary to install (AND maintain). + + * MUA - Mail User Agent aka Email Client - used by the end user to read their mail. + * Apple Mail - mail readable from a single location or + * Webmail - mail readable from any location via a web browser. + * MTA + * Postfix + * Sendmail + * Fetchmail + * qmail + * MDA - Dovecot / Procmail + * POP + * IMAP + * SASL - authorization + * Spam Assassin - Spam Scan + * + +OSX 10.6 contains an installation of Procmail. This version can be utilized or disabled and replace by the MacPorts install. +This document will describe the MacPorts installation of Procmail. + +Similarly, Apple Mail provides functionality similar to FetchMail and Spam Assassin. == Configuration == -TODO +Where are you going to put things...? Most everything can be put where MacPorts wants to put them with no problem. +The 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. + +Similarly, by configuring log files to be in the == Optional Parts == @@ -40,10 +73,14 @@ * Procmail: http://www.postfix.org * FetchMail: * Dovecot: http://dovecot.org - * Procmail + * Procmail: http://procmail.org * SASL - * + * Spam Assassin + * Clam Antivirus + + * Sendmail http://www.sendmail.org The "Original" MTA on the Internet. + * Qmail: http://qmailrocks.org Site apparently last updated in 2006 (?last? Version - 1.03 , from the author Dan Bernstein http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html updated apparently in 1998 ) -------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<------8<-------- * The IP shown here might not mean anything if the user or the server is behind a proxy. -- MacPorts <http://www.macports.org/> Ports system for Mac OS This is an automated message. Someone at http://www.macports.org/ added your email address to be notified of changes on howto/MailServerTutorial. If it was not you, please report to .