Need help setting up a email server.

**kustomjs** · May 6th, 2009

Hi Guys
I am just wondering if anybody could help me setup a email server. what I am looking to do is use webmail with mysql with virtual hosted domain name.

**windependence** · May 6th, 2009

Well if it were me, I would use something like Zimbra or Citadel instead of building your mail server from scratch. To build a full mail server, you would need at least postfix, dovecot or Courier Imap, maybe MySQL for the back end, Spamassassin, ClamAV, etc. These packages have all that stuff already integrated in one package.

Here are some useful links:

http://wiki.zimbra.com/index.php?tit..._Install_Guide

http://www.howtoforge.com/installing...uite_on_ubuntu

http://postfixmail.com/blog/?p=345

http://www.citadel.org/doku.php/installation:start

-Tim

**ejschaefer** · May 6th, 2009

Here is a great article to get you started with Postfix and Courier with a MySQL backend

http://www.howtoforge.com/virtual-us...ail-ubuntu8.10

I've been running a similar setup for a number of years without any problems. Its a lot less resource hungry than Zimbra too, not that Zimbra isn't a great product.

Running through this tutorial would be an excellent learning experience. If you poke around the HowtoForge site, you'll come across a plethora of additional articles detailing Postfix virtual hosting with various combinations of Courier, Dovecot, LDAP, MySQL, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, Squirrel, Horde, Roundcube and DKIM/DK-Milter.

Have fun! Let me know if you have any problems or questions.

**jperez3** · May 6th, 2009

I have ran through the process of setting up virtual mailboxes with Postfix/Dovecot

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Po...xClamSmtpHowto

and it worked like a charm. However I needed some help refining a shell script I made that incorporates the commands to add users and restarting dovecot.

Here's my shell:

HTML Code:

#!/bin/bash
clear
echo "enter email address:"
read fname
adddovecotuser $fname;
echo "enter email password:"
read upass
mkdovecotpasswd $fname $upass;
/etc/init.d/dovecot restart;
chmod 755 -R /home/vmail;
chown -R vmail:vmail /home/vmail;
exit

The problem I have is that when users are added the accounts are not readable by default so the above shell makes them readable so they can be used.

What I would like is to make this script process a command and halt if there is an error. Currently it just keeps going until the script has ran it's course. Can anyone help?

Thanks again

**kustomjs** · May 7th, 2009

I tried to setup citadel and I cant even login to the web gui to it.

Originally Posted by windependence

Well if it were me, I would use something like Zimbra or Citadel instead of building your mail server from scratch. To build a full mail server, you would need at least postfix, dovecot or Courier Imap, maybe MySQL for the back end, Spamassassin, ClamAV, etc. These packages have all that stuff already integrated in one package.

Here are some useful links:

http://wiki.zimbra.com/index.php?tit..._Install_Guide

http://www.howtoforge.com/installing...uite_on_ubuntu

http://postfixmail.com/blog/?p=345

http://www.citadel.org/doku.php/installation:start

-Tim

**windependence** · May 7th, 2009

What address are you using to access it? Are you trying to access it locally or remotely?

-Tim

**kustomjs** · May 7th, 2009

well I am trying to access it by my internal ip address.

**HermanAB** · May 7th, 2009

Well, since you are use virtualization already, just download the Citadel VM and be on your way in a few minutes. It is pre-installed with everything including RBLs, SpamAssassin and ClamAV:
http://www.citadel.org/doku.php/installation:appliance

**kustomjs** · May 7th, 2009

I dont have a virtual server on my server I am using virtual hosting. what I am going to do is im going try that how to guide on howtoforge. then Citadel will be my last option.