Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Norway
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu

    Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    I've recently installed a server (12.04) with Apache, Postfix and Courier. Is this a system you can rely on in a production evinronment? The server (VPS) is hosting both emails and websites.

    Specs:
    Ram 2GB
    120 GB disk
    OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (64-bit)
    The thing that worries me the most is, what do I have to do to keep the mail-part up to date? Does this setup require much work in terms of servermanagement?

    This is my first fullblown Apache, postfix and Courier install ever. But for now it's working perfectly.
    I do have some experience with CentOS (servers) and Ubuntu (desktop)

    Thanx for any replies

    EDIT:
    btw. followed this How-To
    Last edited by billyboy1978; January 24th, 2013 at 06:46 PM. Reason: added link

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Running
    Code:
    sudo apt-get upgrade
    once in a while will keep all of the software on the system updated.

    If the mailserver is quite important, you may want to setup a testing/staging server to test updates before installing it on the actual server.
    Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions ... Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Norway
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Thank you for your reply.

    So the mail server is vulnerable in terms of system-updates? What about configs, any possibility that they're being overwritten in a debian based system without any warning?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Quote Originally Posted by billyboy1978 View Post
    Thank you for your reply.

    So the mail server is vulnerable in terms of system-updates? What about configs, any possibility that they're being overwritten in a debian based system without any warning?
    Havent ever experienced anything like that. yet. I still backup them anyways.
    Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions ... Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Norway
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Ok, thanx. But I wonder.. I might gonna outsource the mailservice, and run a webserver only. Dont want to lose mails for my clients, thats bad business for sure.

    Any thoughts about this?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Boston MetroWest
    Beans
    16,326

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Outsource to another mail provider? How about Google? They won't lose your clients' mail.

    Are the clients organizations for which you need to support multiple mailboxes, or largely individuals? For the latter, you might find your domain provider offers simple POP3 mail drops for the domains you register like my provider DirectNIC does.
    Last edited by SeijiSensei; January 26th, 2013 at 02:36 AM.
    If you ask for help, do not abandon your request. Please have the courtesy to check for responses and thank the people who helped you.

    Blog · Linode System Administration Guides · Android Apps for Ubuntu Users

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Norway
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Quote Originally Posted by SeijiSensei View Post
    Are the clients organizations for which you need to support multiple mailboxes, or largely individuals? [..]
    Both actually, thanx, I'll have a look into it.

    BTW, Is it recommended to run my own combined web/mailserver?
    Last edited by billyboy1978; January 26th, 2013 at 11:18 AM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Boston MetroWest
    Beans
    16,326

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    That's pretty much impossible to say without knowing your abilities in greater detail. How much attention do you intend to pay to it? How much experience do you have with mail services? What will you do about spam and viruses? What about mail that apparently gets "lost" because it was falsely tagged as spam? Will you be available to hold your clients' hands while you figure out what the problems are? Do you intend to offer IMAP as well as POP? IMAP puts a greater load on storage space because all the mail resides there. It also creates the need for reliable backups and for strong security.

    What kinds of clients you have makes a difference as well. Medical providers in the US are governed by the HIPAA privacy and security rules, for instance, which means you would be governed by them as well.

    In general clients are much more cognizant about problems with mail because they expect it to magically appear in their mailboxes 24/7 and will notice it when something goes wrong. They are less likely to notice problems with web services since the intended audience is outside the organization.
    If you ask for help, do not abandon your request. Please have the courtesy to check for responses and thank the people who helped you.

    Blog · Linode System Administration Guides · Android Apps for Ubuntu Users

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Norway
    Beans
    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    Thats what im talking about, looks like it 'll give me hard times regarding this mailservice. Better get an external mailservice for my clients.

    My primary "administratorskills" are within the CentOS/RHEL webserver (only) segment, and that mean I've to compile a lot of packages for postfix, as this is not native RHEL packages. I KNOW this will give me a headache, when Ill are updating the system. This is the main reason for trying Ubuntu this time.

    Anyway, thanx for your responses..

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Boston MetroWest
    Beans
    16,326

    Re: Ubuntu web/mail server in production evinronment.

    I use CentOS for servers and have used sendmail for SMTP for years. I usually wrap it with MailScanner to add virus and spam scanning.
    If you ask for help, do not abandon your request. Please have the courtesy to check for responses and thank the people who helped you.

    Blog · Linode System Administration Guides · Android Apps for Ubuntu Users

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •