What does it take to start a mail server?

[agg123456789]

I have run out of mailboxes with my DSL and they want to charge me 5 bucks a month per mailbox. I was wondering what it would take to set up a machine on one of my static ips, and have it run mail server software....or is that not how it is done.... i have no idea...


any ideas?


thanks


agg123456789

 

[WHipLAsh13]

No idea but I am curious too... bump

 

[agg123456789]

no one?

 

[DarkManX]

setup a mail server, u can get some free ones for windows, or linux.

 

[agg123456789]

it is just that easy? i do have an extra static ip... i thought that i would need one....what about a domain? do i need one? and then would i need to run a DNS off of the machine that is running the mail server software?


or am i getting in too deep on this....should i maybe just pay the fee??


thanks


agg123456789

 

[Need4Speed]

..except that most ISP's block port 25 .... which is required for SMTP

 

[Rifter]

you could, but you do realize that unless you have a domain name and are running a DNS server pointed to your IP that your e-mail address will be whatever@(your IP here)

 

[agg123456789]

right. i know, however that does not matter because all the emails are going to be routed through the companies redirect anyway....


how do i find out if that port it blocked?


thanks

agg123456789

 

[MJT2k]

If you want to run a mail server you will need a domain. If you don't want to run DNS then you can't "really" have a domain. "The Public DNS Service" But there is a way around this. You set up your mail server and get a domain and then use or don't get a domain and get a subdomain free, like http://***.dhs.org this service works great I use it. I don't know if this place will let you run a mail server but you can get a free domain from them NameZero.com. You might also try DNS 2 Go I have not used the last one but a friend of mine does, it works best on a windows box.

NOTE: you do not need to set up a SMTP server just the POP (incoming mail server for this to work) you can use your ISP's SMTP server.

Or you could pay your ISP to do this for you, or just pay the 5 bucks for each mailbox and be done with it.

 

[agg123456789]

the problem is outgoing mail...there are a bunch of free places that i can recive mail from. but none that work through outlook, and do not add and ad at the bottom of the email which is unnacceptable to me.........


so how would i get the smtp working??


thanks



agg123456789

 

[huanaku]

The SMTP is fairly easy to get working as long as you have the ports open. You need a domain as stated, then software (ex: microsoft exchange, merak mail server, various others). They will run the services. I set mine up, and have 10 email accounts so far (for friends). Mail lists too. All running off my win2k server box.

 

[konichiwa]

What kind of connection do you have? (huanaku)

 

[Ender510]

How about for Linux - how hard is it to setup for that?