A coder experienced some failed projects. Interested to Machine Learning while working on web development.

Weitao Zhou
Vitan

Golang, Python, C++, AngularJS, JS, Shell

DataMan, Inc. Beijing, China
zhouwtlord@gmail.com

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rhel6 simplest mail server deployment using postfix for MTA and dovecot for MDA

| Jul 15, 2013 | MTA MDA Thunderbird SMTP

A simplest mail server deployment doc presents smallest config using postfix for MTA, dovecot for MDA and Evolution for MUA, which DONOT need DNS setting. I am using such virtual machine as a test/devel-server for project development.

Prerequisites

Assume MTA and MDA server is the same one
```
  mail.example.com
```
using the same server can lead NO-DNS setting for simplest config.
change to root
```
  su -
```
Install and start postfix yum install postfix service postfix start chkconfig postfix on

Install and start dovecot

  yum install dovecot
  service dovecot start
  chkconfig dovecot on

Basic config

postfix basic config

Backup postfix config file firstly

  cp /etc/postfix/main.cf /etc/postfix/main.cf.bak

Config /etc/postfix/main.cf, and diff output to the following:
```
  diff /etc/postfix/main.cf /etc/postfix/main.cf.bak
```
OUTPUT: 75c75 < myhostname = mail.usersys.redhat.com — > #myhostname = host.domain.tld 98c98 < myorigin = $myhostname — > #myorigin = $myhostname 113c113 < inet_interfaces = all — > #inet_interfaces = all 116c116 < #inet_interfaces = localhost — > inet_interfaces = localhost 119,120c119 < #inet_protocols = all < inet_protocols = ipv4 — > inet_protocols = all 268d266 < mynetworks = 10.66.0.0/16, 127.0.0.0/8
Check the config file
```
  postfix check
```
any error message, you can refer Postfix Basic Configuration for trouble shooting.
Restart the service postfix after successfully checking
```
  service postfix restart
```
Add rule to iptables
```
  iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 0/0 --sport 1024:65535 -d mail.example.com --dport 25 -m state --state NEW,ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT
  service iptables save
```
WARNING: In reality configuration I failed to make it, and at last using the following commands to clear all the firewall(or iptables) rules, as my virtual machine no security requirement.Shooting the trouble in future.
```
  iptables -F
  service iptables save
```

Test mail(or postfix) server

Add user vitan to mail.example.com
```
  useradd vitan
  passwd vitan
```
In any other machine which can look up the mail.example.com, type the following command:
```
  echo "Test the smtp server" | mail -s "from `hostname`" vitan@mail.example.com
```

Check the mail on mail(or postfix) server mail.example.com

  cat /var/spool/mail/vitan

The following output is welcome.

  From: Weitao Zhou <weizhou@test.example.com>
  ......
  To: vitan@mail.example.com
  Subject: from test.example.com
  User-Agent: Heirloom mailx 12.5 7/5/10
  MIME-Version: 1.0
  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
  Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

  Test the smtp server

dovecot basic config

I am still logging in mail.example.com as root.

Backup dovecot config file firstly

  cp /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf.bak

Config /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf, and diff output to the following:
```
  diff /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf.bak
```
OUTPUT: 20c20 < protocols = imap pop3 — > #protocols = imap pop3 lmtp 32c32 < login_greeting = Dovecot ready. — > #login_greeting = Dovecot ready.

Backup dovecot another config file

  cp /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf.bak

Config /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf to turn off ssl, and diff output to the following:
```
  diff /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf.bak
```
OUTPUT: 6c6 < ssl = no — > #ssl = yes

Backup dovecot another config file /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf

  cp /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf.bak

Config /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf to enable plain text auth, and diff output to the following:

  diff /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf.bak

OUTPUT:

  10d9
  < disable_plaintext_auth = no

Backup dovecot another config file /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf.ext

  cp /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf.bak

Config /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf for PAM authentication, and diff output to the following:

  diff /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/auth-system.conf.bak

OUTPUT:

  15d14
  <   args = session=yes dovecot

Backup dovecot another config file /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf

  cp /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf.bak

Config /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf to mail_location, and diff output to the following:

  diff /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-mail.conf.bak

OUTPUT:

  31d30
  < mail_location = mbox:~/mail:INBOX=/var/mail/%u

More config settings refer to dovecot v2.0 configuration
Reload the config files
```
  doveadm reload
```
Always drop all the Iptables rules now.
A trouble caused by file permission on dovecot
```
  ls -la /var/spool/mail/vitan
```
unless the directory mode is 600, run
```
  chmod 600 /var/spool/mail/vitan
```
make sure that all the directorys(in */var/spool/mail/) mode is 600 for using MUA(Evolution or Thunderbird).

REMEMBER to change the dir mod after adding new user, if not, the new user fail to config MUA.

MUA Evolution basic config

Open the Evolution Interface and add the mail account step by step, leave others default except the followings:

Receiving Email Server Type: IMAP Server: mail.example.com
Sending Email Server: mail.example.com
Now, vitan can receive and sending his mails on mail client Evolution.