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How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

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Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#181

Post by korethr »

pyre wrote: post #165
rsync wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"So to run something that doesn't require 24/7 support I now have to run a cluster of servers." My two most recent uptimes for my personal FreeBSD mail+web server were each over 1200 days. My current months sent-mail folder stretched back for years - which is to say, my (al)pine process itself was 3+ years old. No, you don't need a cluster of servers for your personal mail server.

Isn't this like saying: > "I've never personally experienced a BSOD in Windows ME, so obviously it's incredibly stable. Those other people are just doing something wrong."

Honestly, when Windows 9x would crash, it was because something was doing something wrong. Drivers and legacy mode programs written and running under the no-longer-true assumption that they're the only program running on the computer will absolutely wreck your day when they poke in places they don't belong and do things they shouldn't. And if you got rid of those misbehaving programs, Win9x got a lot more stable.

I used to have crashes all the time. Then one day I got the bright idea to actually read and understand the error code when the computer crashed. I did a few web searches to demystify the error code and its cause, and ripped out the software firewall I was running. And that was the end of my bluescreen troubles.

Now, if you want to argue about poorly designed tools and environments that make it all too easy to do the wrong thing, then I think that would be a valid and productive argument.

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#183

Post by JepZ »

peterburkimsher wrote: post #114
JepZ wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean with 'mail server'? Postfix? Dovecot? Running a Postfix on anything else than a dedicated server with a static IP is a pretty bad idea (half the internet will reject the emails you send). And to do all that just to transfer some files is probably like using an iPhone as a fly swatter.

I don't know why there's so many downvotes and patronising "fly swatter" remarks. There is a use case for this. For example, sharing a photo album with many pictures. Or a mixtape. Or some song lyrics. I can't upload those to the cloud for copyright reasons. Or if I want to make the transfer while away from Internet e.g. skiing, hiking, waterfall trip, etc. - there's no access to Internet services, so iCloud/Dropbox/…

Have you considered using Nextcloud?

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#184

Post by Jaruzel »

dmoo wrote: post #161
Jaruzel wrote: post #61

Slightly tangential, but is there something for RSpamd, where it can be run as just a blind mail relay? I.E. like this: Internet Email (SMTP) -> [MTA + Rspamd] -> [Real MTA + Inboxes] I ask because I've got a mail server system I'm happy with, but just want to bolt a better anti-spam filtering system on in front of it. Thanks.

Have you looked at assp, lots of parameters but does the job.

I did, a very long time ago, it seemed, um, overkill for my needs. Maybe I should revisit!

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#185

Post by sigstoat »

heartbreak wrote: post #139
KayEss wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been running my own mail servers since the mid-90s, and always only a single server. SMTP keeps retrying, so you can be offline. The transport layer was designed to deliver mail to servers even if those servers only dialled in to one of the "internets" once per day, so it's fine to have some downtime. It's totally up to you how you prioritise getting a server back up again, and frankly if the message can't handl…

> frankly if the message can't handle at least a few hours delay then email probably isn't the right medium for it. This may have been the case in the mid-90s, but it is certainly not the case today. I frequently receive emails that require immediate attention, whether from my employer, my bank, or any number of other notifications. Normal email users expect emails to be delivered in seconds, not hours.

> Normal email users expect emails to be delivered in seconds, not hours.

their expectations are unreasonable. gmail, etc don't even manage that much of the time, let alone guarantee it.

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#186

Post by CaptSpify »

xienze wrote: post #12
marsrover wrote: post #9

I ran my own mail server for a few months in 2013. I came to the conclusion I'd much rather pay Google $5 a month.

Fastmail will let you do it for $50 per year if you pay upfront. Just not sure why anyone would run an email server other than extreme paranoia. It’s hardly a set it and forget it affair.

How is it not set and forget?

I set up my configs ~5 years ago, and other than apt-get update; apt-get dist-upgrade, I havent had to do anything

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#187

Post by mzaccari »

notinventedhear wrote: post #16

Yeesh, there's so much involved. I've been running my own mail server with https://mailinabox.email for ~2 years and can heartily recommend it. Still, even with that there are gotchas if you want to be able to send messages from your server to Google et al, eg. reverse-DNS-records, DKIM, SPF. Not for the pressed-for-time.

About 2 years ago I had a customer that required their own private mail server. I set up Mail-in-a-Box on a $5 Digital Ocean droplet, and they've been happy with it ever since.

The integration with Let's Encrypt and a relatively smooth upgrade process has made it one of the more enjoyable services I manage. I would highly recommend it.

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#188

Post by andris9 »

ryanlol wrote: post #177
andris9 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the age of password leaks it is really common that email accounts are easy targets and get hijacked – most users are probably still using the same password for their email as they used for LinkedIn in 2012. So it might happen from time to time that an otherwise normal account suddenly sends 20 000 emails to hotmail.com unless you have somehow predicted that and configured the mail server to not allow it.

>most users are probably still using the same password for their email as they used for LinkedIn in 2012 This is absolutely not true.

Oh yes it is, we have around 200k users and fighting with old leaked passwords is like a full time job. Very easy to abuse as well, the attackers can make low frequency requests from scattered IPs and thus are almost impoasible to prevent

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#189

Post by mattbillenstein »

notinventedhear wrote: post #16

Yeesh, there's so much involved. I've been running my own mail server with https://mailinabox.email for ~2 years and can heartily recommend it. Still, even with that there are gotchas if you want to be able to send messages from your server to Google et al, eg. reverse-DNS-records, DKIM, SPF. Not for the pressed-for-time.

+1 Mail in a box is great.

Re: How to Run Your Own Mail Server (2017)

#190

Post by nerpderp83 »

andris9 wrote: post #188
ryanlol wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>most users are probably still using the same password for their email as they used for LinkedIn in 2012 This is absolutely not true.

Oh yes it is, we have around 200k users and fighting with old leaked passwords is like a full time job. Very easy to abuse as well, the attackers can make low frequency requests from scattered IPs and thus are almost impoasible to prevent

Identity aware proxy. User has to auth over http, then mail client can connect to IAP and ultimately to mail. And or two factor. Giving the user 10% easier usage gives the sysadmins 200% harder job. Take away the 10%.
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