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Mac OSX Server and email accounts

I currently have a home network running a number of Windoze and Mac OSX based machines, and am considering converting a Powermac to act as a server running Mac OSX server.

I have never set up or run a server before!

Anyway, we use a number of email accounts from BT, AOL and Mobile me. How will Mac OSX server deal with these? Will it pick up the emails form the accounts and relay to the relevant user account? How will it deal with sending emails?

Help and guidance gratefully accepted.

Tony

iMac Dualcore + G4 Powermac, Mac OS X (10.5.4), A deserter from Bill Gates' camp.

Posted on Jan 2, 2009 8:45 AM

Reply
5 replies

Jan 2, 2009 9:03 AM in response to Alicat.7

Hi

My two pennies worth.

There is no need to involve the mail service at all. Leave things as they are and you'll be fine.

If you really want to have a private mail server then you must have a publicly registered domain. You will need a fixed public IP address. Unless you are a business you won't get one if your server is located at your home. As far as I know you can't in the UK. It is possible to use a DynDNS account but I would not if I were you.

Access to your domain's public DNS record so as you can map the domain's MX record to the fixed IP address at the server's location and a decent hardware router. Thereafter you set up port forwarding for SMPT port 25 to the fixed internal (private) IP address of your server.

I've simplified things but that is basically it.

I would also have a look at:

http://osx.topicdesk.com/

Tony

Jan 2, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Alicat.7

Hello Tony

In that case give it a whirl.

The Mail Forums here are a good place to start. Apple's online documentation another:

http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/resources/

It's a good idea to get familiar with DNS and Postfix (the main MTA)

http://www.zytrax.com/books/dns/
http://www.amazon.com/DNS-BIND-Fourth-Paul-Albitz/dp/0596001584
http://www.postfix.org/

The other link given is one I recommend you look at. You will at some point have to get familiar with the command line. I'm not sure how to go about relaying mail for domains you have no authority over using a private mail server? Perhaps someone does and will post with a suggestion?

I suppose you could set up mail accounts on the server itself? Define a set of rules to forward mail to itself. Local clients could be configured to pick up mail using a private domain. But what would be the point of that? Why introduce another step? If you were moving around the only way I could see it working is to use a VPN. Why not pick up your mail directly from the providers?

Tony

Jan 2, 2009 12:34 PM in response to Alicat.7

Hello Tony

Don't ignore the wish. Have a go and dabble. When and if you get stuck, post here. I've found this forum to be one of the best of its kind on the web. The skill and expertise is top quality as is the goodwill and humour.

You have nothing to lose and much to gain.

Besides if you wait someone may post with something more useful that you can hopefully use?

Tony

Mac OSX Server and email accounts

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