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Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#241

Post by fusiongyro »

I just set up mail myself last week. Postfix on FreeBSD over at DigitalOcean. Did everything you did and was quite frustrated that my wife seemed not to be getting my email. The thing is, I sent a test email before adding SPF, and then one before adding DKIM, and Gmail figured out they were all part of the same "conversation" so because the first one seemed spammy the rest were penalized.

I made my own fresh Gmail account and messages go through fine. So I'd try that: make a fresh account from the one you've been testing with, and see if mail goes through.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#242

Post by rhizome »

nchelluri wrote: post #71
rhizome wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what purpose?

I believe it allows you to send outgoing mail using Mailgun which is trusted (doesn't end up in recipient's spam folder) but receive incoming mail to your server.

Most if not all ISPs have MTAs for customer use. I don't know how Comcast would like me submitting from Postfix, but I don't have to worry about that and my personal ISP can handle being a next-hop MTA just fine if I need it.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#243

Post by njt »

sigil wrote: post #104

Send a mail from your address to mailtest@unlocktheinbox.com. They send back an extensive "lint for smtp" report within minutes. I found it indispensable for debugging a DMARC issue recently.

I tried this service right now and unfortunately, large chunks of their report require you to upgrade to a paid version to read it.

mail-tester is free: https://www.mail-tester.com/

(I'm not affiliated with either of these tools apart from using them.)

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#244

Post by ommunist »

dasil003 wrote: post #233
mozumder wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "email server in a box" is called a Mac Mini with the Server package. It's such an easy-to-use email system. Been working great on a home static-IP address for me for a couple years now.

Maybe when (if?) Apple releases a new one. Right now the hardware on the Mac Mini is so pathetically underpowered for the price, and Apple has shown such blatant disdain for both the Mini and the Pro that it almost feels like they don't want customers for those product lines.

How on Earth MacMini with 8GB of RAM and i7 CPU is underpowered for the use? It is underpowered in only one way - energy consumption is so low that there are even server farms built on MacMinis, and colocation services targeting this brave little server.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#246

Post by ashitlerferad »

Nux wrote: post #59

It's absolutely possible to run an email server in 2016 and I encourage anyone capable to do so! Email is one of the bastions of the decentralised Internet and we should hang on to it. Every day more and more people are moving to Gmail/Hotmail/Outlook and while I do understand the reasons, it also puts more and more power into the hands of these providers and the little guy (us) gets more screwed (like marked as junk…

> Email is one of the bastions of the decentralised Internet and we should hang on to it.

ITYM federated Internet, agreed though.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#247

Post by dasil003 »

ommunist wrote: post #244
dasil003 wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe when (if?) Apple releases a new one. Right now the hardware on the Mac Mini is so pathetically underpowered for the price, and Apple has shown such blatant disdain for both the Mini and the Pro that it almost feels like they don't want customers for those product lines.

How on Earth MacMini with 8GB of RAM and i7 CPU is underpowered for the use? It is underpowered in only one way - energy consumption is so low that there are even server farms built on MacMinis, and colocation services targeting this brave little server.

Not for the use, for the price.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#248

Post by ashitlerferad »

huskyr wrote: post #224
nokya wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This completely defeats the original purpose of this HN. Why would anyone invest effort in hosting an independent email server to have all its content routed clear-text through Google's servers/databases?

Because your mail will end up at Google anyway? Even if you don't use Gmail, all your friends do.

https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/google-has-most-of-my-email-be...

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#249

Post by angry_octet »

loup-vaillant wrote: post #218
dsr_ wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I didn't.

I don't understand. Many providers block the outbound 25 port because of their distrust of the infected computers of their end losers. What could possibly be their rationale for blocking the inbound 25 port?

A lot of ISPs say you are not allowed to run 'servers' on your home internet, and hence block inbound low ports like SMTP, IMAP, http. It's just extortion.

Re: Ask HN: Is it possible to run your own mail server for personal use?

#250

Post by mozumder »

dasil003 wrote: post #247
ommunist wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How on Earth MacMini with 8GB of RAM and i7 CPU is underpowered for the use? It is underpowered in only one way - energy consumption is so low that there are even server farms built on MacMinis, and colocation services targeting this brave little server.

Not for the use, for the price.

You pay extra for Macs so you don't have to spend as much time to set it up.

Your time is valuable, right?

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