mail server · DIGIT-ARC

B

HI
I have build an email server with qmail and squirrelmail on linux machine.
Now i want to make this server available to all of my braches through internet.

What are the things require for this? (Bandwidth, static ip etc)
and how much it will cost.

p.e I want to do it only on ADSL connection. (Budget is very small)

What do you mean by "make available to all other branches"? You want to distribute the software or allow them to use the server as their mail server?

Please provide your OS version based on which I can provide a step by step guide to hosting your mail server

OFFTOPIC
@ techtronic

please stick to the black color for fonts when posting
no ned for this color. it is very disturbing to the eyes

B

i have used fedora 8

make available to branches means they can access this from public ip

buntythecool said:
i have used fedora 8

make available to branches means they can access this from public ip

in that case you'll need at least 10 Mbps!!

B

no 10 mbps i want it on 512kbps adsl connection

M

depends on how many users, how much space will they get, how much transfer limit will you allow at a time, features available, etc
I don't know exact value but 512 would suffice for 5-6 people at a time for POP3 I'd guess.
And, I hope you've taken good security measures as open mail servers are a very easy target for spammers and can be abused easily.
Again, if you're on dynamic IP, you'll have to beware as many blacklists and spam filters look down upon dynamic IP and chances are lots of mails will end up in spam box.

B

required it for 100 users. Each user will get 100mb space.
As per assumption each usr sends 25 mails each day.

I also want to know the cost of the connectivity

M

well IMO it would get a bit slow if more than 5-6 users will try accessing mails at a time. Also, consider spending ~Rs. 1000 for a static IP and ~Rs.400 for domain per year. That will make your users mails look better but it would attract more spammers, too.

B

i can access my mail server on intranet by typinin mail server ip in browser.
i can download mails from it also. But it is only working in itranet. I want to go beyond that. I already have a domain,. I wll purchase sttic ip. i.e not a problem.
I want to know can i able to run it on 512kbps ADSL line and how to do that?

M

Well if it's working on intranet then your router or ISP is blocking it. For router check portforward.com and if your ISP is blocking it, you will have to use a non-standard port that is not blocked by your ISP.

B

i want to know how to obtain internet connection for the mail server
which ip i have to enter in mx record?
that ip should be my mail server machine ip?

M

Can you first explain us how your network is setup presently? Both internal and external. And how mails are accessed?

Why do u want to start a mail server with so low budget

V

i assume that your network is spread in many branches and the mail server you are using is only for intranet.. ie.. you can send only to xyz@yoursompany.com . If you want to send your mails outside (to other domain) you will be needing a router (which will route your mails to the internet). I recommend using a leased line with static ip address. Now in your mx record you will have to add the ip or subdomain (if you configure in your dns... something like mail.yourcompany.com) . Then in your router you will have to route all incoming trafic at port 25 to your mail server. then i think everything will be fine. Am not that expert and i have not done suck experiment (project) but that was how a redhat engineer configured our office's mailserver. But its quite troublesome. keeping spams away, checking if your mail server have been used as a spam source etc... If its not very important to host in your office and all your branches have internet connection and that there are not too many mails (within the company) consider hosting it elsewhere. you can even use hosted gmail.

utsav said:
Why do u want to start a mail server with so low budget

yeah true. instead use Google Apps. Its free and you can have any number of accounts you need. It is featured with all Gmail features+Chatting on Gmail, *@urdomain