Found best GUI for Fetchmail but need help

Question

Found best GUI for Fetchmail but need help

Good folks of the Apple Server Forum,

There's a request at the end of this post. Hope someone can help.

I'm a business enduser, can't and don't dare to use Terminal, but usually figure things out on my own. Recently purchased Tiger Server to achieve mobile office. Was able to set up VPN, File+FTP Server, Print Server, having problems with Mail.

Like some others in forum, do not want to host my own mail service, just want to have Fetchmail poll my ISP and have Tiger Mail Server serve mail to 3 users via IMAP.

I understand Fetchmail is best, but no clue with Terminal. Found awsome but expensive ($99 - worth it if helps avoid heart attack) Mailtron Gateway (www.studiotron.com) which turns on and manages Fetchmail via simple little GUI. 30-day demo available on site.

Problem: Don't know what to enter in OS X Mail Server and Workgroup settings to reflect that I'm using Mailtron (Fetchmail) and don't know what to enter in Mailtron to reflect that I'm using OS X server. I know that concepts like 'SMTP' like 'localhost' come into play here, but just can't get it done.

If someone would kindly demo mailtron and tell me exactly what to enter into it and Tiger Server to achieve the above goal, I (and probably other untrained admin wannabes) would be forever grateful.

Here's hoping,

István

PBG3, PBG4, PMG4, MiniG4 Mac OS X (10.4.5) Mac OS X Server on PMG4

Posted on Mar 10, 2006 11:35 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 11, 2006 8:02 AM in response to István Flesch

Hi,

I use Mailtron gateway to configure fetchmail on my Panther Server but I imagine its essentially the same for Tiger. I'm not sure I'd have paid for it as I ended up using the terminal to sort out and help them fix a bug in it, and they rewarded me with a free registration for my effort!

Anyway, you don't need to tell Tiger Mail server anything about Mailtron / fetchmail. So long as its smtp server is running fetchmail will deliver the mail it retrieves to it. There's a step-by-step guide on the studiotron website to configure fetchmail via the Mailtron Gateway software. Perhaps if you let us know which bits you are having problems with we can give more specific help.

Have you got the server set up so you can use email between your local users? That would be the first step before you try to add in the external retrieval.

Chris

Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Mac OS X (10.3.9)

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Answer 2

Mar 11, 2006 9:56 AM in response to Chris Goodwin

Chris,

Thanks very much for your response. I'll start by answering your last question. Then, what I have entered in my Mail Server settings and what I entered into Mailtron. And finally, what I have in Workgroup Manager.

I use an outside DNS service to deal with my dynamic IP address handed out by Verizon. I have 4 email addresses with 2 ISPs and have always had them setup as individual accounts in my email clients. I plan to continued that under IMAP and to also have 4 accounts set up in Mailtron.

Actually, all three users are myself on different computers, so I don't have the mail server setup to email between the users. But I would like to be able to both receive and send email thorough the my Tiger Server. I run the server headless, so all mail getting and sending would be done only on the client computers.

In the settings panel of the Mail Server:
- Did not enable POP as I figured Fetchmail will be collecting it;
- Enabled IMAP, and allowed a maximum of 2 connections.
- I checked off Enable SMTP, but am not sure if to check off 'Allow Incoming Mail' since Fetchmail is involved.
- Under Domain Name I put in the domain name at the ISP: verizon.net
- Under Host name I put in the local IP address of my server (10. ....). It says, 'Enter internet host name of this mail system', but I don't think I have one, or can I just use the server IP address?

There are four other checkboxes but only one seems relevant: 'Relay outgoing mail through host'. I would like to send mail from the clients through the mail server, but not sure if this checkbox refers to that. Also not clear what to put in there as address.

In Mailtron, so far I created a new account for my Verizon mail and only touched and entered the following:

- account name: Verizon
- Server to poll. I etered the same POP server address I would enter in the regular email client before moving to IMAP: incoming.verizon.net
- Verizon Username
- Verizon Password
- Local Domains: verizon.net
- Local SMTP host: entered the local IP address of my server

In one of the client computers I set up an IMAP account. Here's what I have there:

- incoming mail server: the local IP address of my server
- outgoing mail server: same local IP address of my server

With this setup I tried sending mail via IMAP to my email address and that worked and recevied back my message through the regular direct-to-ISP POP connection.

However, although I set up Mailtron to fetch mail avery 5 minutes, nothing shows up in my mail client's IMAP inbox when I press Get Mail.

Finally, I tried to set up the Mail settings for myself as user in the server's Workgroup Manager, but when I enter, I get this message: 'Your are working in a directory mode that is not visible to the network'. Don't know what to do with that. I just hit OK
In my user settings I entered the same IP address as my server has. Didn't touch anything else.

So that's where I'm at. I hope you'll see what's wrong.

Thanks again, I'm looking forward to your reply.

István

PBG3, PBG4, PMG4, MiniG4 Mac OS X (10.4.5) Mac OS X Server on PMG4

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Answer 3

Mar 11, 2006 11:40 AM in response to István Flesch

Ok Let's see what I can do to help, though there are clearly some diffences between the Panther and Tiger screens from what you describe:

In the settings panel of the Mail Server:
- Did not enable POP as I figured Fetchmail will be
collecting it;

This POP service is for you clients to collect mail from this server. If you are going to use IMAP and leave you mail on this server then you can leave it off.

- I checked off Enable SMTP, but am not sure if to
check off 'Allow Incoming Mail' since Fetchmail is
involved.

You need this on as fetchmail delivers to the smtp service on the server you point it to. For security you should limit smtp relays just to your local address range - not sure how/where this is specified in Tiger - hopefully someone else can clarify?

- Under Domain Name I put in the domain name at the
ISP: verizon.net
- Under Host name I put in the local IP address of
my server (10. ....). It says, 'Enter internet host
name of this mail system', but I don't think I have
one, or can I just use the server IP address?

Do you have the dns service running on the server? Is the mail you are collecting addressed to your own specific domain(s), e.g. 'user@yourdomain.com' or 'user@username.verizon.net' rather than 'username@verizon.net'. If it's the latter I'm not sure you can set the required options through Mailtron.

There are four other checkboxes but only one seems
relevant: 'Relay outgoing mail through host'. I would
like to send mail from the clients through the mail
server, but not sure if this checkbox refers to that.

This is for outgoing mail from your server to the internet. If you leave it off it will send mail direct to the receiving mail server - not all ISPs like that. If you turn it on specify the normal outgoing mail server for your ISP.

In Mailtron, so far I created a new account for my
Verizon mail and only touched and entered the
following:

- account name: Verizon
- Server to poll. I etered the same POP server
address I would enter in the regular email client
before moving to IMAP: incoming.verizon.net
- Verizon Username
- Verizon Password

- Local Domains: verizon.net

This should match the domain name, or one of it's aliases that your server is set up to receive - see comment above.

- Local SMTP host: entered the local IP address of my
server

Should be OK.

In one of the client computers I set up an IMAP
account. Here's what I have there:

- incoming mail server: the local IP address of my
server
- outgoing mail server: same local IP address of my
server

Fine.

With this setup I tried sending mail via IMAP to my
email address and that worked and recevied back my
message through the regular direct-to-ISP POP
connection.

This suggests your server is not retaining the mail for you local email addresses/domains as it is being forwarded on to the internet.

However, although I set up Mailtron to fetch mail
avery 5 minutes, nothing shows up in my mail client's
IMAP inbox when I press Get Mail.

Could be fetchmail is working but your server is then sending it back to the ISP 's server.

Finally, I tried to set up the Mail settings for
myself as user in the server's Workgroup Manager, but

You'll need to setup users/shortnames for each local username you will be receiving mail for, otherwise the server won't know who to deliver it to.

I think it would be useeful for somebody who knows Tiger server to guide you through setting up the mailservice on there - or point you to the relevant how-to's as I think that need's configuring first before you woarry about the Mailtron/fetchmail configuration.

Chris

Mac OS X (10.3.9)

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Answer 4

Mar 11, 2006 12:11 PM in response to István Flesch

Chris,

I think you are right, the mail service needs to be set up first. But your suggestions have already helped a lot. I've made the changes based on your comments and am now testing. I'll come back with what happened.

To answer your question, no, I don't have DNS service running on my server. With Verizon it's simply username@verizon.net. With the other ISP I have my own domain for a website they host for me and I also use their mail service with the same domain.

So if I don't run DNS service on my server, what needs to be entered where they ask for local host name? The domain name at the ISPs? Or perhaps I should be running the DNS server?

PBG3, PBG4, PMG4, MiniG4 Mac OS X (10.4.5) Mac OS X Server on PMG4

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Answer 5

Mar 11, 2006 12:43 PM in response to István Flesch

As I said I don't know the GUI to Tiger but somewhere in the mail service settings you should be able specify which domains you want it to handle the mail for. You can specify you own domains where you handle all the mail yourself, but don't specify verizon.net or you won't be able to forward mail through your server to any other @verizon.net addresses.

I think there is an option in fetchmail to get around this latter issue when retrieving mail by specifying a local username to deliver the mail to, i.e. all mail collected from 'username@verizon.net' is delivered to local user 'istvan'. I don't think Mailtron gives access to this option though.

Chris

Mac OS X (10.3.9)

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Answer 6

Mar 11, 2006 1:17 PM in response to István Flesch

Chris,

Thanks, I see. In Tiger Mail Server there's one field to enter the domain you want the service for. Maybe you can enter more, separated by spaces. Not sure.

In any case, I need to educate myself more on Tiger Server and come back to setting it up. Thank you very much for your assistance, it has moved me along quite a bit in identifying the different pieces of the puzzle.

Once I have it up and running, I'll come back and post the results.

Best,

István

PBG3, PBG4, PMG4, MiniG4 Mac OS X (10.4.5) Mac OS X Server on PMG4

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