Setting up an Email server

[Mrpilot007]

I need some suggestions on setting up my own email server. Here is my idea: I have re-installed for various reasons over the past few years and everytime I do, I lose any emails. I have tried and tried to save them all but to no avail. How about if I setup an email server that will poll all of my email accounts and then save them there and I will always just be able to access them. I have a spare computer that I can run Linux or windows on. Please make suggestions on OS and programs that can do this. Hopefully freeware.

 

[Need4Speed]

linux
sendmail
fetchmail
procmail

get a domain name, get some dns hosting with MX records.

Install linux, config sendmail (or other MTA), config fetchmail, config procmail.

 

[chsh1ca]

If you opt to go the free route, Qmail on Linux is a combination that's tough to beat. QMail has never had a security vulnerability, the author has a still-unclaimed offer of $1000 to whoever can come up with a vulnerability. Due to the modular nature of Qmail, it's also very easy to use different auth mechanisms.

It's far superior to Sendmail IMHO.

 

[Mrpilot007]

Thanks for the response guys. Much appreciated.

 

[Nothinman]

I use a Courier-imap, postfix, procmail, fetchmail and imp3 (webmail and it needs apache) combination and it works great. It seems a little overwhelming at first, but it's really not.

 

[AKA]

If you want to use windows and learn how it all works with a newbie type program which is great for beginners I would suggest Argosoft


They have good support, easy to setup, newsgroups to ask and get answers and another site devoted to supporting it at ArgoStuff

 

[Nothinman]

I would suggest learning as much as possible before setting anything up. It's way too easy to install an unpatched IIS and open relay MTA on Windows without realzing it.

 

[stash]

I use qmail, courier-imap, imp, and getmail running on Redhat 7.3.

Here's a great guide on how to set it all up.

 

[her209]

What about using Outlook or Outlook express to download all your email for you and dump them into a personal folder (pst file). Before reinstalling, save the pst file and when finished, just import it back into Outlook or Outlook Express.