Step 1 – Create mail.yourdomain.com
Add an MX record to your DNS using the following parameters:
- Hostname:
mail
- Priority: 10
Step 2 – Install and configure postfix
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sudo apt-get install postfix |
Don’t enter anything during the installation. In the next step we will be configuring postfix more precisely, and any configuration set now will be overwritten.
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sudo dpkg-reconfigure postfix |
Reference my configuration if you aren’t sure what to enter:
- General type of mail configuration: Internet site
- System mail name: mail.notblog.org
- Root and postmaster recipient: notblog (Your sudo-privileged account, not root)
- Other destinations to accept mail for: localhost, mail.notblog.org, notblog.org
- Force synchronous updates on mail queue?: No
- Local networks: 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
- Mailbox size limit:
- Local address extension character: +
- Internet protocols to use: all
Step 3 – Change spool format to Maildir
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sudo postconf -e "home_mailbox = Maildir/" |
Step 4 – Install IMAP and POP3 support
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sudo apt-get install courier-pop courier-imap |
Answer No when asked about setting up a web interface. There are much better alternatives to using courier for web mail. I recommend roundcube. Check back soon for a guide on using web mail.
Step 5 – Add aliases for multiple domains and mail accounts
This step is optional. Following it will allow you to:
- Handle mail for multiple domains with a single mail server.
- Forward multiple mailboxes (webmaster, sysadmin, etc.) to a single mailbox.
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sudo postconf -e "virtual_alias_domains = notblog.org maybeblog.net ablog.com" sudo postconf -e "virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtual" |
- Line 1: Enter the domain name this mail server will be used for as well as any other domains hosted on this machine. This will allow you to configure all of the domains to send mail to a single account. Separate the domains with spaces. If you aren’t using any other domains, enter the main domain only.
- Line 2: This points postfix to the alias map at /etc/postfix/virtual which we will be creating in the next step. This file will describe where to forward mail sent to certain domains and/or mailboxes.
Write the following to /etc/postfix/virtual, adding domains and mailboxes you’d like to be forwarded:
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webmaster@notblog.org notblog sysadmin@notblog.org notblog info@notblog.org notblog webmaster@maybeblog.net notblog webmaster@ablog.com notblog |
Then run postmap to optimize the alias map. Postfix will read the file much more quickly if this step is taken.
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sudo postmap /etc/postfix/virtual |
Step 6 – Install dovecot
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sudo apt-get install mail-stack-delivery |
Step 7 – Restart postfix
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sudo service postfix restart |
And thats it?? No how to check and send emails?? Most people who will come across this will need a COMPLETE description.
Corey Check from Terminal by using command mail
That’s a shallow one
Thanks for the post, this filled in the gaps for what I needed.
The above comments are pretty annoying, if you need that much hand-holding you should not be configuring servers.
How to add an SSL/SSH certificate to have secured IMAP ? Is this something independent from postfix ? Can i re-use my web certificate ?