Gradual move to own mail server - strategy for noob

Hi, I'm trying to replace my current arrangement for email,
and though I 
have read as much as possible on it, I just want to check if
I am on the 
right lines with what I'm planning. (Is that a legitimate
use of this 
list?) It's the same old story, when you're a beginner it is
very hard 
to take even small steps until you have a grasp of the 'big
picture', 
and know what direction you should be going. So I'd be glad
of any 
opinions, pointers, or How-Tos that I may not have spotted.

If you read the rest of this, you may think that I'm trying
to implement 
something way too heavyweight for what I need at the moment,
and you'd 
be right! However, I want to learn, and enjoy trying to
master the big 
boys' toys.

OK, so here's where I am:
8 users
3 or 4 Windows machines including a laptop - users may use
any/all of these
New FreeBSD server so far only operating as a Samba server
(PDC).
Email is downloaded by individual clients from ISP via POP3
- user must 
be at specific machine to access their local mail folders.
If elsewhere, 
they must use webmail, but of course sent messages, replied
flags etc 
are then inconsistent, besides which messages are only left
on the (ISP) 
server for a limited time.

Here is where I want to get to:
IMAP server on my FreeBSD box (and using Maildir is my
instinctive 
preference.)
Ultimately, but not yet, I want to start using the FreeBSD
machine as a 
proper mailserver - i.e. get a static IP address and point
the MX record 
hosted by my provider at it. For now though I am happy to
fetch from the 
existing mailboxes that they host for me.
Again, not necessarily now, but when I am fully up and
running, run spam 
and virus checking (that's done for me now, but inevitably
could be 
improved on.)

What I _think_ I want to do is this:
Install Fetchmail to get mail from my various hosted
mailboxes
Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the default mailer
Install Procmail to deliver messages in Maildir format (to
users' home 
directories?)
Install Courier IMAP as the IMAP server

Ultimately, then drop Fetchmail and reconfigure Sendmail for
receiving 
mail directly, and add anti- spam and virus tools.

Have I got this about right? Do I really need 4 separate
tools to do 
this? Have I overlooked something more obvious/elegant?
Where are my big 
pitfalls going to be?

If replying, please keep in mind my embarrassing level of
inexperience!!

Thanks

Barnaby Scott






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> Install Fetchmail to get mail from my various hosted
mailboxes

Yes. For testing purpose, why don't you create a temporary
mail
account at your ISP, at yahoo, gmail, etc. provided they
have IMAP,
and try retreiving emails from that account.

> Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the default
mailer

Does fetchmail need sendmail? I never used fetchmail, so I
am not sure
about that one.

> Install Procmail to deliver messages in Maildir format
(to users' home 
> directories?)

Yes and yes, Courrier IMAP expects the mailbox to be in the
user home
directory in ~user/Maildir and procmail is a good place to
plugin
several features for sorting emails.

> Install Courier IMAP as the IMAP server
 
Yes

As I said, test everything on a temporary email account.

When you start deploying it for your users, do not delete
the messages
from the ISP server while you fetchmail them to your local
server,
that will avoid messages getting lost: users are very touchy
about
lost mail.

Try to keep long time log of everything, so you can show
them thy are
complaining for no good reason. One month of /var/log/mailog
may be a
good start.

> Email is downloaded by individual clients from ISP via
POP3 - user must 
> be at specific machine to access their local mail
folders. If elsewhere, 
> they must use webmail, but of course sent messages,
replied flags etc 
> are then inconsistent, besides which messages are only
left on the (ISP) 
> server for a limited time.

This would not change, only displace the problm. If you read
your
email with POP3, you better always use the same machine,
because the
sent folder is local to the POP3 client machine.

> Again, not necessarily now, but when I am fully up and
running, run spam 
> and virus checking (that's done for me now, but
inevitably could be 
> improved on.)

Don't wait too much, especially for anti-virus, if you have
the
feeling that the service provided to you so far is leaking
some
viruses. If the architecture is Fetchmail/sendmail/procmail,
install
the amavid plugin while you are building the new
infrastructure. Improved antivirus may be a good way to sell
the new
email procedure to your users (users don't like to change
the way they
read email, you need incentives .

Spam is touchy question, no one like spam, but every one may
have a
very different definition of what is spam or not. On this
issue, when
I started with SpamAssassin, I let the system running for a
couple of
months, just tagging the spam messages, so people get used
to it. Only
after that period, I started to quarantine the spam
messages.

Good luck, email is certainly a big and touchy subject.

Olivier
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On Wed, Jun 27, 2007 at 10:27:56AM +0100, Barnaby Scott
wrote:
>  What I _think_ I want to do is this:
>  Install Fetchmail to get mail from my various hosted
mailboxes

Fetchmail works fine.

>  Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the default
mailer

I'd go for postfix. It's much easier to configure.

I've heard it said that it's easier and less painfull to
amputate your
own leg with a pocket knife then to hack sendmail.cf. 

>  Install Procmail to deliver messages in Maildir format
(to users' home 
>  directories?)

Procmail is nice if you want to tie-in anti-spam or
anti-virus tools on
a per user basis. 

Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. Sendmail and postfix can
deliver directly
to user's mailboxes.

>  Install Courier IMAP as the IMAP server
> 
>  Ultimately, then drop Fetchmail and reconfigure
Sendmail for receiving mail 
>  directly, and add anti- spam and virus tools.

Don't forget to open port 25 in your firewall, otherwise you
won't
receive a lot of mail.  

>  Have I got this about right? Do I really need 4
separate tools to do this? 
>  Have I overlooked something more obvious/elegant?
Where are my big pitfalls 
>  going to be?


-- 
R.F.Smith                                   http://www.xs4all.nl/~r
smith/
[plain text _non-HTML_ PGP/GnuPG encrypted/signed email much
appreciated]
pgp: 1A2B 477F 9970 BA3C 2914  B7CE 1277 EFB0 C321 A725
(KeyID: C321A725)

Rolannessto <rsmithxs4all.nl> writes:

> On Wed, Jun 27, 2007 at 10:27:56AM +0100, Barnaby Scott
wrote:
>>  What I _think_ I want to do is this: Install
Fetchmail to get mail
>>  from my various hosted mailboxes
>
>>  Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the
default mailer
>
> I'd go for postfix. It's much easier to configure.

That's your POV. I've run sendmail, postfix and courier for
quite some
time and lately I've returned to sendmail. I just like it.
Working with mc files is a breeze. You don't hack a cf file
unless
you're a hacker. But _IF_ you are, hacking is easy too.

>> I've heard it said that it's easier and less
painfull to amputate
> your own leg with a pocket knife then to hack
sendmail.cf. 

Depends on your hacking skills..
Writing / adjusting a mc file is easier.

-- 
Dick Hoogendijk -- PGP/GnuPG key: F86289CE
++ http://nagual.nl/ +
Solaris 11 05/07 ++
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HI

On 6/27/07, Barnaby Scott <bdswaywood.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Hi, I'm trying to replace my current arrangement for
email, and though I
> have read as much as possible on it, I just want to
check if I am on the
> right lines with what I'm planning. (Is that a
legitimate use of this
> list?) It's the same old story, when you're a beginner
it is very hard
> to take even small steps until you have a grasp of the
'big picture',
> and know what direction you should be going. So I'd be
glad of any
> opinions, pointers, or How-Tos that I may not have
spotted.
>
> If you read the rest of this, you may think that I'm
trying to implement
> something way too heavyweight for what I need at the
moment, and you'd
> be right! However, I want to learn, and enjoy trying to
master the big
> boys' toys.
>
> OK, so here's where I am:
> 8 users
> 3 or 4 Windows machines including a laptop - users may
use any/all of
> these
> New FreeBSD server so far only operating as a Samba
server (PDC).
> Email is downloaded by individual clients from ISP via
POP3 - user must
> be at specific machine to access their local mail
folders. If elsewhere,
> they must use webmail, but of course sent messages,
replied flags etc
> are then inconsistent, besides which messages are only
left on the (ISP)
> server for a limited time.
>
> Here is where I want to get to:
> IMAP server on my FreeBSD box (and using Maildir is my
instinctive
> preference.)
> Ultimately, but not yet, I want to start using the
FreeBSD machine as a
> proper mailserver - i.e. get a static IP address and
point the MX record
> hosted by my provider at it. For now though I am happy
to fetch from the
> existing mailboxes that they host for me.
> Again, not necessarily now, but when I am fully up and
running, run spam
> and virus checking (that's done for me now, but
inevitably could be
> improved on.)
>
> What I _think_ I want to do is this:
> Install Fetchmail to get mail from my various hosted
mailboxes
> Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the default
mailer
> Install Procmail to deliver messages in Maildir format
(to users' home
> directories?)
> Install Courier IMAP as the IMAP server


I'd suggest dovecot over courier. Courier's not exactly
under active
development


Ultimately, then drop Fetchmail and reconfigure Sendmail for
receiving
> mail directly, and add anti- spam and virus tools.
>
> Have I got this about right? Do I really need 4
separate tools to do
> this? Have I overlooked something more obvious/elegant?
Where are my big
> pitfalls going to be?


IF you can just redirect the MX record it's easiest to get
everything
working first them the fetchmail won't need to run for long
after you've
moved DNS records. Depends if you can do this.

yes you will need some sort of anti spam. I  use
Spamassassin and
MailScanner at work - which BTW ain't that far from you (
www.solidstatelogic.com)..if want some one-to-one help drop
me a line.

If replying, please keep in mind my embarrassing level of
inexperience!!
>
> Thanks
>
> Barnaby Scott

--
Martin
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> Configure Sendmail, which I accepted as the default
mailer
> Install Procmail to deliver messages in Maildir format
(to users' home 
> directories?)
> Install Courier IMAP as the IMAP server

> Have I got this about right? Do I really need 4
separate tools to do 
> this? Have I overlooked something more obvious/elegant?
Where are my big 
> pitfalls going to be?

For a new person, Sendmail and Procmail is a difficult mail
system to
learn (IMO). If you want to use Courier IMAP, you might look
at using
the full Courier suite it has the simplicity of doing
everything in one
package. I currently much prefer using Dovecot for IMAP, and
Postfix for
MTA. They are both quite easy to set up and customize to fit
changing
needs.

-- 
Kenny Dail <kendamigo.net>

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On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:27:56 +0100
Barnaby Scott <bdswaywood.co.uk> wrote:
> Ultimately, but not yet, I want to start using the
FreeBSD machine as
> a proper mailserver - i.e. get a static IP address and
point the MX
> record hosted by my provider at it.

It may not be sufficient to get a static IP address. If you
wish to
send out mail directly, you really need one with control of
reverse
DNS, since that's the criterion for getting out of dynamic
address blocklists. 
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On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:49:45 -0600
Kenny Dail <kendamigo.net> wrote:

>  I currently much prefer using Dovecot for IMAP, and
Postfix for
> MTA. They are both quite easy to set up and customize
to fit changing
> needs.

I agree . adding clamav + amavisd.new + spamassassin to the
mix would wrap up
the setup.

ping me if you need particular config details.

_________________________
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