Mailserver system (postfix, sendmail or qmail ?)

Ed Wilts ewilts at ewilts.org
Tue Dec 28 04:16:03 UTC 2004


On Tue, Dec 28, 2004 at 04:50:45AM +0100, Helena Carlsson wrote:
> I want to set up a mailserver on a FC3 system. I have
> no experience in working with any mailserver. So, I
> like to know:
> 
> 1. FC3 comes with postfix mailserver. AFAIK it does
> not support POP3, but maybe it does. 

Postfix is an MTA - Mail Transfer Agent.  It doesn't do POP3. 

> Anyway, do you recommend postfix rather than sendmail and qmail ? I
> prefer qmail because of its complete resources on net.

Since you have no experience, go with postfix.   sendmail these days
should be for people who have a good reason to learn sendmail or have
access to a sendmail expert.  postfix is much easier to learn out of the
box.  I run sendmail because I'm used to it and run sendmail at work. 
 
> 2. I have access to a registered web site and its server system. 

The web is unrelated to e-mail.

> Also, mail.xxx.com is available. 

This is irrelevant.

> But I would like to set up this mailserver to have pop.xxx.com and
> smtp.xxx.com and can be reached via mail programs such as thunderbird 

Just a matter of setting up DNS correctly as well as a POP or IMAP server.

> and also each person be able to check his email by typing mail.xxx.com
> in his browser. Do these mailservers (postfix, sendmail and qmail)
> support it ? 

None of those support webmail.  That's a user agent.  Look at
SquirrelMail for web-based mail access.

> If yes, what about pop.xxx.com and smtp.xxx.com zones ? It will
> created by mailserver program ?

No - that's up to the DNS maintainer to set up.

> 3. Does a mailserver manage both incoming and outgoing operations
> (SMTP and POP) on a system or they should be separated on two
> separated systems ?

Mailservers talk SMTP.  You'll need a separate application to handle POP.
The common ones are Dovecot and uw's imapd.  They can reside on the same
physical server.

-- 
Ed Wilts, RHCE
Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:ewilts at ewilts.org
Member #1, Red Hat Community Ambassador Program




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