Setting up SMTP?

[Paul Howarth]

On Thu, 2004-10-28 at 03:02, Ow Mun Heng wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-10-27 at 15:41, Paul Howarth wrote:
> > MSP: Message Submission Program
> > 
> > This is for locally-submitted mail on your server. sendmail runs using
> > the submit.cf configuration file, queues messages in
> > /var/spool/clientmqueue and attempts to deliver the mail on to the MTA
> > running by default on port 25 of localhost.
> 
> Note : It's not necessary for there to be a MTA on port 25 running on
> localhost, YOu can change the in /etc/mail/submit.cf and change
> 
> D{MTAHost}[127.0.0.1] to point to the ISP's mail relay.

I know, but I run my own MTA too and I prefer to use that.

> > MSA: Mail Submission Agent:
> > 
> > A mail server for submitting mail for delivery from other Internet
> > hosts. Listens on port 587 and will relay mail once the client is
> > authenticated. Intended for "roaming" users so that they can send mail
> > from their regular SMTP server wherever they are (including on ISPs that
> > block outgoing port 25 connections).
> 
> How do you configure your email client then?? eg: in my case I use
> evolution and I instruct it to pass the mails to sendmail. (on port 25 I
> presume)

I use evolution too. On the "Sending Mail" tab I have:

Server Type: SMTP
Host: mymsa.mydomain:587
Use secure connection (SSL): Whenever possible
Server requires authentication
Authentication Type: DIGEST-MD5

> > > But what is the difference then to just point
> > > the submission to port 25 default?
> > 
> > Port 25 is the MTA, mainly there for accepting delivery of incoming mail
> > (but also for relaying out messages originating within the
> > organisation). The MSA is intended exclusively for submission of
> > outgoing messages.
> >
> > > I can understand the usage of MSA is only port 25 is closed and you're
> > > not running as a mail-hub from internet.
> > 
> > I use my MSA all the time. I never have to change mail settings,
> > wherever I am.
> 
> Again.. to recap.
> you don't have sendmail running on port 25?

I do, but that's my MTA and I don't use it for submission.

> You have sendmail's MSA running on port 587.

Yes.

> How is your email client configured?

See above.

> Outgoing emails are sent to the MSA, which in turn relays it out to the
> ISP's mail-relay?

My MSA doesn't relay via my ISP except for certain domains that won't
accept mail directly from my (static) DSL connection. I could if I
wanted to have all outgoing mail relayed via the ISP though.

> All this while, port 25 is not used at all? How do you get your mails
> then? You pop/IMAP them?

I'm using port 25 for my MTA, but if my ISP was handling my incoming
mail instead of me doing it myself, I wouldn't need to have the MTA and
I'd be using POP/IMAP as you say.

> I personally pop them from my server using fetchmail, pass them to the
> local sendmail on port 25 for spam/clamav scanning before being
> delivered locally.

That's a perfectly fine approach. I guess you only have the MTA
listening on localhost, as per the default Red Hat config?

Paul.
-- 
Paul Howarth <paul at city-fan.org>