[kwlug-disc] (Running a VPS) Mail Server? [Was: VPS (again)]

[Colin Mackay]

I haven't put a LOT of time into it yet, it was just one of those 'putter
about' projects.  My first thought was to have a mail server just so I
could get a little more insight into it's setup.  Of course, it didn't end
there...

Using postfix and dovecot I got a simple server up and running quite
quickly, of course did not allow mail relaying...  TLS certs were next.
Certs have always been annoying for me, I don't use them enough to *really*
get into it, but after a little bit of reading I managed to get it working.

Spam Assassin *was* next, but I got sidetracked for a bit with Owncloud and
RoundCube.

Owncloud is a personal 'cloud', kinda neat, somewhat pointless on a system
with 5Gb of disk space. :D  Roundcube is webmail for postfix type mail
servers.  Basically, if you have a shell account, you have a roundcube
account...  It's rather nice!

Next... Spam assass---  er, nope.  Another sidetrack: Getting my mail
account (and calendar from Owncloud) onto my BlackBerry.

Now, with the Christmas season in full swing, I've barely touched it.  So
far no one out there knows the IP / DNS name of the server, so that's
what's keeping me safe...  Well, as safe as hiding behind the curtains
during a home invasion, but still.  So far, so good.  My plans did end at
Spam Assassin, wasn't planning a blacklist, but now I probably will add
that to the list.

As for the dangers?  Well, it's a pointless little VPS that can die a firey
death and the domain isn't a permanent one I want to keep.  Call it
practice, call it fun, call it a cheese sandwich, I don't care...  :)

DMARC!  I remember reading about this a little while ago, but only in the
'rings a bell' sense.  Sounds like something to read up on at some point.
Thus far, I've not had issues sending / receiving mail from gmail.com or
rogers.com.

Q. Is it worth it?  Will I run into trouble?  Will I pull my hair out
fighting spam?  (Tune in next week...)

A. I have NO idea yet.  I don't learn lessons from watching others fail, I
learn lessons from trying and possibly failing in my own, unique way.  So
until I get buried under a ton of spam messages, I'll keep this project
going...





Next, SPAM ASSASSIN!  Promise. :)


On Fri, Dec 19, 2014 at 10:14 AM, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:
>
> On Fri, Dec 19, 2014 at 4:49 AM, B. S. <bs27975 at yahoo.ca> wrote:
> >
> > The idea of running one's own mail server has always seemed a little
> 'scary' - not just to me, but others here have expressed similar.
> >
> > So many little fiddly bits, DNS stuff [can't recall the term, not DFC -
> the MX record isn't the problem, it's the rest], multiple programs chained
> together, blacklists, spamassasin, don't know what all else.
> >
> > Always seemed too much work. Anyone using yahoo these days probably
> wonders if it's less work than Yahoo has been!
> >
> > Is there a current best practices how to on running one's own e-mail
> server (IMAP, not POP) out there these days? [Googling it will just bury
> you.]
>
> I used to be in this camp (those who avoid running email servers) and
> I am still in it somewhat, with some modifications.
>
> I still don't run any POP servers, or spam filters. I forward the
> accounts that are in my domain to a web email (mostly Gmail).
>
> But, what happened recently is that I modified SMTP so that I am able
> to overcome Yahoo (and others, like Cox and Verizon) implementing
> DMARC and hence my email bouncing from those domains.
>
> Basically, what I did was re-implement SPF, added DKIM and a PTR
> record. These can be tedious to implement, and test, but once you do
> them, things work again, and you don't get bounces anymore.
>
> The details are here
>
>
> http://baheyeldin.com/technology/linux/setting-up-spf-and-dkim-on-postfix.html
>
> --
> Khalid M. Baheyeldin
> 2bits.com, Inc.
> Fast Reliable Drupal
> Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
> Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. --  Edsger W.Dijkstra
> Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. --   Leonardo da Vinci
> For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple,
> and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken
>
>
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