Linux email question...

[Archer36]

Hey guys I have a question. To give a little background I have a laptop a secondary desktop and my main server that will all access my ISP's pop server to get my email. At the current moment I have thunderbird configured to keep the messages on the server till my main desktop downloads them. What happens is between these three computers I have different folders with different emails in them. I would like to be able to set up my server which ins running slackware 10.2 to store all my mail and possibly directories so I can keep all computer synced for backup purposes.

So would this be possible? From a quick google if I setup sendmail, pop, and imap on my server I could access that from all my mail clients. However will this still download the mail off the server? Also would it be possible to have the server hold the directories too?

Basically I would like to have a client that interfaces with my server, accross all three clients.

Thanks

 

[Cheator]

It should be possible. Setup a POP client to download the messages, setup an SMTP server to serve those messages to an account, and voila. The details? I dont have. I've never downloaded pop emails with linux. Well, only 1 at a time. Sorry!

 

[klingens]

Don't use sendmail and don't use pop.

What you want is your own (local) mail setup. fetchmail, MTA and an IMAP server.

fetchmail fetches mails from your pop3 ISP account and feeds it to your MTA. Your MTA should be either postfix, exim4, NOT sendmail.
For an IMAP server use either dovecot or courier-imap. While pop3 support is easy, it's not needed and imho useless. You can add things like amavisd-new, clam-av, spamassassin, crm114, etc for spam, worm and virus filtering on your server. A webmail package like squirrelmail or roundcube can also be nice.

The idea is to keep all your mail centrally stored on a server. Your Thunderbirds are clients, and clients only. Together with webmail you have your own mailbox everywhere available where there is an internet connection.

 

[Archer36]

Ok, last year I almost had my own mail server working under my domain. But I remember the ports were blocked. I think SMTP was if I remeber right. So if I did a setup like you mention with my ISP (Charter Comm.) Whould I be able to check my email from the net? Also can I setup folders like I would in thunderbird but on my servers so my email client sees the folders and the email?

Sorry for my n00bishness I have always used POP and SMTP through my ISP and only atttemptd mail once.

Thanks

 

[klingens]

Yes, by using imap. THen all folders and all mails on the server.

As for the blocked ports: which ports exactly are blocked? Incoming or outgoing?

 

[Archer36]

Yes, by using imap. THen all folders and all mails on the server.

As for the blocked ports: which ports exactly are blocked? Incoming or outgoing?

I am not quite sure what ones but im quite sure 25 outbound is blocked, and im quite sure 110 is open both ways, ill have to test though.

 

[Archer36]

Ok I have a sort of working install ATM, at least I can connect to my IMAP server and see mail sent to me by other uesrs, through outlook express.

Any good books at barns and noble on this stuff? Im not feeling confident I did this right and am looking for help! Thanks

 

[klingens]

What kinds of software did you use?

 

[Archer36]

Postfix, dovecot, and fetchmail

Not exactly sure how to integrate fetchmail though? Also SMTP 25 outbound is blocked so I would have to use my ISPs SMTP, is it possible to have Postfix use smtp.chartermi.net?

 

[klingens]

fetchmail will deliver its mail to your port 25 where postfix runs when you set it up just like any other incoming mail.

As for using charter for outbound mail: look for "smarthost" or "relay host".

 

[Archer36]

Yep thanks for all the tips, I was able to get it working over the last few days, I like it a lot. My ISP filters 143 so I have to switch the ports around but it was easy to do using Thunderbird.