So You Want To Host Your Own Linux Mail Server ...

Jeff writes "Recently, I moved my personal mail from a hosted Windows 2003 application to my own virtual Linux server. I now have nearly unlimited storage, full control over my e-mail and it's less than $10/month. Here's why I did it and here's how I did it. And I'm not a Linux geek."

Comments

thanx for the free advertising

[Max von H.]

It's just an ad for some virtual host that looks like a howto.

Bleh.

Re:thanx for the free advertising

[Ianoo]

Actually, it's a Virtual Linux Host, not a Virtual Hosting account. Although this might well be blatant advertising, there is an important difference between the two ideas.

Virtual Linux hosting is something new that uses UML (I think) to run several completely separate operating system partitions on the same machine. This means that rather than that horrid CPANEL thing you get with most virtual hosting accounts, you get a full Linux install that you can pretty much use however you want, installing new programs and running background processes and cron, using SSH, and so on. You can even have IP addresses assigned to your particular Linux if required.

This is much better than the standard HTTP/1.1 vhost package that most small-medium sized website hosts have been offering for the last few years.

Re:thanx for the free advertising

[Asgard]

I've been very happy with Linode.com. They also have Gentoo and Mandrake images to start off with.

Not a linux geek?

[Blackknight]

How many non-geeks know how to install Debian and configure mail services?

For normal users the best solution is to either get a hosting account somewhere that supports webmail, or open a gmail account. They configure everything for you so all you have to do is login and read your mail.

Re:Not a linux geek?

[node 3]

How many non-geeks know how to install Debian and configure mail services?

Dude, what the hell's wrong with you?

All you have to do is download and burn a Debian .iso, install, configure your firewall, set up DNS, install a mail server, configure the rules for handling your domain and any appropriate aliases and relaying settings, set up IMAP with SSL and any auth schemes you want, test for adequate security and that you aren't an open relay, then keep up with software updates and security bulletins and make sure your system is adequately backed up and stable (including power and network glitches) for adequate availability. Oh yeah, you'll also need to find a domain name that is both available and doesn't suck, and register and administer it as well.

Piece of cake. I don't see what you're complaining about, but whatever. Go back to using the 1 of 5 free e-mail addresses that came with the ISP you have to have anyway, and use "Outlook" or "Mail.app" or "Evolution" or whatever easy-to-use program your OS comes with. Pshaw.

WOW.

[Anonymous Coward]

Amazing. The guy actually learned to set up Debian, and Courier, and SquirrelMail!

Holy shit!

This is sort of a blind-leading-the-blind situation, with little reference made to the official docs for any of these packages. And I'm sorry, I don't have time to read some fellow's long, hard journey to understanding Debian apt-get. Or better yet, screwing up the relationship between sudo and visudo and negelecting the latter entirely.

I also love how 2 gigs is seen as "unlimited" space. Sure, it's a lot more than you'll get from a free webmail account, even gmail, but that's the reason to roll your own server, not buy time on a virtual server and stumble around learning what you shouldn't do with linux.

Bleh. Don't waste you time.

Re:$10/month for a virtual linux hosts

[Ayrehtek]

From the second line of part two ("how I did it") of the article:

"I used the instructions below to guide me through the process of setting up a server at Redwood Virtual with the following components..."

And a little bit further down:
"I bought a personal account at Redwood Virtual. It's $10 per month..."

Re:mail servers need RBL + Spam assassin

[sfjoe]

Setting up a linux box to host email is asked to be used as a relay.

No, it really isn't. I've been hosting email for a handful of domains for a few years now. No relaying, no intrusions, no problems. Spam filtering is done with a few RBLs and relaying is prohibited.

Domains..

[maskedbishounen]

If you do this, just remember to keep your ISP address around (and check it). Why?

I have a cousin who seemingly does this who forgot to renew his domain. So when e-mails start bouncing because my mother can't send mail to her relatives, who gets called in? Me. Although the errors clearly mention it's a problem on their end .. but since when did average users start reading their past the "Mail Returned" header?

To summarize: do it right (ie, have a backup plan), or not at all.

You are in denial

[Lord Kano]

And I'm not a Linux geek.

Let's see.

• In response to the questions during the install, I chose the following. In almost every case I selected the default options:
• 
  
  ? Choose daemon since redwood virtual has a network connection
  ? Select the default URL
  ? Select yes to notify
  ? Select Internet Site when asked for configuration
  ? Select postmaster as the root account
  ? Select default mydomain.org
  ? Select defaults for mail routing etc...
  
  Be sure to remember to add a user account for the postmaster later. I?ll come back to this shortly.

If you know enough to alias postmaster to root, set your default domain and set up mail routing you sir are too a linux geek.

LK