Re: Secure email server setup
On Mon 15/Jan/2018 00:19:24 +0100 Brian wrote:
> On Sun 14 Jan 2018 at 16:43:53 -0500, rhkramer@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> On Sunday, January 14, 2018 02:26:03 PM Brian wrote:
>>> On Sun 14 Jan 2018 at 12:49:46 -0500, rhkramer@gmail.com wrote:
>>>> On Sunday, January 14, 2018 10:36:40 AM J.W. Foster wrote:
>>>>> I am looking for a reliable step by step process for setting up an
>>>>> email server located on an existing website server. I have
>>>>> installed; exim4 light, dovecot, Thunderbird, OpenSSL, and TLS
Thunderbird isn't needed on a server
>>>>> security. I have tried following several bits of documentation
>>>>> regarding this with some success, but as with every time I try this,
>>>>> I open up my system to SPAM at a ridiculous rate. I want to
>>>>> eliminate that and get this mail server fully operational. I am
>>>>> seeking a well-documented approach that I can follow. I am using
>>>>> current Debian Stretch and the server is primarily a Mediawiki
>>>>> system where I NEED mail available. Any tips are appreciated.
>>>>> Thanks!John>>>>
>>>> Some clarification would help:
>>>> * Do youi really need an email server on this machine, or do you just
>>>> need>>>> the capability to send and receive email? I guess I'm not
>>>> familiar enough with Mediawiki--does it need an email server?>>>>
>>>> In my (old) installations of TWiki, the ability to send and receive
>>>> email was all I needed.>>>
>>> If you did not use a mail server, you were not *receiving* email but,
>>> more than likely, *collecting* it.
>>
>> Ok, but it worked and did what I needed to do. And how many people would
>> perceive a difference between receiving it and collecting it in casual
>> usage of those words and in this context?>
> Not many in this context, probably. But precision and the desire to
> educate has never been amongst the strong points of commentators on
> email. You would soon notice the difference if you had to collect
> your mail from a Royal Mail office instead of having it delivered.
> Apart from having to travel to collect it, "spam" control is handled
> differently in each case.
It may help to note explicitly that spam control includes the possibility to
whitelist known wiki contributors from /some/ filters --e.g. never skip
anti-virus; after all, even known contributors can have their email accounts
hijacked.
Since most email messages are sent in cleartext, it is also worth to note
explicitly the difference in terms of privacy between receiving and collecting.
For sending capabilities, many postmasters end up taking recourse to external
smart hosts because their IP address is in a tainted block, regularly thrown in
the Junk folder by some mailbox providers (e.g. hotmail). The worthiness of
running a mail queue is lost in that case.
Ale
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