Debian based IMAP server

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27 Apr 2004
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I'm wanting to setup a mail server on an old P3 box I have, with IMAP and Horde Webmail. Partly because I could really use those services but also partly for the learning curve. However I don't know which apps to use :o

For example I know there's uw-imapd and dovecot imap, and there's sendmail and exim; which ones should I use? I think/hope I will be allright with Horde Webmail because as fas as I'm aware there isn't too much decision making.

So really I'm just asking for advice with what SMTP and IMAP daemons (is that the right word?) to choose. Also any cool guides and how-tos would be good, as well as guides on making sure (and testing) it's secure. I also hope to set it up with some form of spam filtering at a later date, in case that would have any effect on what packages I should use.

Thanks, null :)
 
there are hundreds of howtos for this on the net, but the way I have done it before I used Exim 4 (default debian mail client) and courier imap, but I also have used dovecot which is smaller and simpler. I got Spamassasin set up as well but that was pretty tricky as I remember. Use fetchmail to grab mail from pop3 servers, and it's a good idea to set up a working dns server (bind) before you embark on email system.
 
Thanks for the replies :)

However I'm still not much closer to a conclusion because as you put it so well whitecrook, there are hundreds of guides out there!

For example looking at the guide on howtoforge (thanks for that btw), I get told this:

POP3/POP3s/IMAP/IMAPs: in this example you can choose between the traditional UNIX mailbox format (we then use ipopd/uw-imapd) or the Maildir format (in this case we will use Courier-POP3/Courier-IMAP).
Yet more decisions! :p

I just want something that doesn't require previous experience (i.e. for making a decision) that I can follow, that will give me a good working setup. Then hopefully when it is no longer so urgent I can read around and try to gain some knowledge....

You know what, in writing that last sentence I realised that it isn't actually so urgent at all.. in fact it doesn't need doing at all. Perhaps I should just accept the fact that I'm going to have to a bit of reading. I'm just lazy like this though :p.

With that in mind I think that probably concludes this thread, because I'm going on holiday tomorrow for a week (and won't have internet access) so can't do anything with it. Unfortunately however, once I get back it's straight back to school which means I will probably have no time what with revising/preparing for GCSEs..... so I think I'm just gonna have to leave it then.

Thanks, null :)
 
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