I would like to try my hand at deploying/running an email server.
I have an account at Linode so I would like to deploy it there.
My rational
Why not.
I need to learn linux and what better way lol. For some reason the command line just psyches me out and I need to get more comfortable. I am way to reliant on a GUI.
I found the [Email Server - Talk Page ] (Email server) But it was locked otherwise I would have added this there.
I know there are a bunch of different solutions out there, I see quite a bit about Postfix
I will do my best to document progress here and hopefully keep myself motivated.
As somebody who previously ran an e-mail server many moons ago (Qmail on FreeBSD), donāt do it. Yeah, yeah, I know ā I know, itās not what you want to hear. DNSBL, Greylisting, Backscatter, DKIM, SPF and a whole host of other things needed is a headache.
OK, now on to why you should totally do it ā Itās a learning experience. Youāre going to screw up, lose mail, have fun tracking down why mail keeps bouncing, learning about spam filtering, the joys and sadness of working with DNSBLs, your mail server gaining trust ā but most of all, when it does work, itāll be a rewarding experience. For a quick start, look for mailinabox or iRedMail.
Pro tip: MX records should point to an A record. Do not use a CNAME or IP address. Itāll work, but some mail servers out there might have an issue with it.
Also, check with whatever hosting you use allow SMTP traffic, comply with their anti-spam policies, etc. If youāre using a VPS, thereās a high probability that itās IP will already be on a DNSBL and will take time for it to be removed.
@SgtAwesomesauce
Going to ask more questions. Feel free to tell me its none of my business.
Do you use it just for personal use or are they work/business accounts?
Iām a long term mail server admin (since the late 90s), and basically email is a shit show.
Iād suggest getting someone else to do it, and attempt to migrate your primary methods of communication away from email. because its a never ending shit show of fighting spam via ever more complex means and staying on top of security vulnerabilities.
Itās MUCH MUCH more complicated than you might think, and for reasons of dealing with brain damaged admins on the other side as much as the actual complexity of the technology - which is increasing.
@SgtAwesomesauce has the basics above. but thatās how things are TODAY. shit changes and you need to continually keep on top of it, and any spam assassin filter you have is never going to compete with the filtering in the cloud that has a few million users to hit the spam before you do.
If you want to give it a go I would just suggest you take it slow (you will get annoyed at points) and document every step you make as you go.
You will learn about databases, firewalls, email security technologies, spam, DNS, certificates and many other things.
You will probably find yourself wiping your VM and starting over several times probably. Snapshots are your friend here but even so you might find yourself in a scenario where you want to start over (hence the documentation).
By the end of my experiment I was essentially copy and pasting in 95% of my own documentation in the server in order to test that I had done everything correctly.
It is super rewarding (at least to me) to send and receive your first email on your own server.
I try very hard NOT to be reliant on Lukeās ā1 button solutionsā because I donāt like things I donāt understand. Assuming that the aim is learning, then going through the hard work of setting up is something worthwhile. But considering the goal is actually:
ā¦ then I guess Lukeās scripts are ok. They are meant for beginners.
So, to conclude: one wants to learn Linux, go with Lukeās scripts (albeit I would not recommend going into mail servers just to learn Linux), otherwise, learn to set it up yourself.
While not Linux per se, itās still Unix-like, I highly recommend reading and trying to set up a mail server in OpenBSD using OpenSMTPD:
Setting up a mail server is a lot more than ālearning Linuxā
Itās more learning the intricacies of DNS, SMTP and all the bastard hacks upon hacks to make a protocol that was never secure somewhat less broken so people can use it to communicate.
I imagine there are others but this is the only one I put my details into.
My personal email server is run off a domestic IP address and has never been blacklisted. I am fortunate that my ISP allows customers to run servers / services from home. I know this is rare.
In my case, having my server be a VPS means that microsoft blanket bans me based on IP. Anyone who signs up to my forum with a hotmail/live canāt complete activation.
Thereās nothing I can do about it. Microsoft just tells you to pound sand.
Most every VPS company will block email ports and in some cases they will refuse to open them.