Setup email server

First I want to start by saying thank you for a great forum. I've used these forums to help with many a problem.

What I am looking to do is set up an email server from scratch. I am currently paying a company to host my email and I am not a satisfied customer. So if you want something done right, you do it yourself! (This has gotten me into a few "situations" but thats for a different forum). Anyhow, The machine that I would like to setup as the email server is a win2k pro box setup as a file server. The features I am looking for are as follows:
1) CHEAP! 2) web acess to check email from anywhere (i.e. from any computer with internet) 3) SPAM control 4) Anti-Virus

I have never attempted setting up an email server and do understand that it is not the most easy task to do, but I'm jumping in with both feet.

Thanks for the help in advance
Michael

I'd recommend qmail - it's a simple, secure and free MTA. See http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html for more details, and www.lifewithqmail.org/lwq.html for installation instructions.


See above

You can install something like IlohaMail (http://ilohamail.org/) to allow web-based access to your POP3 accounts.

You can use rblsmtpd with qmail to block mail from known spammers via any number of DNS black lists. I also use SpamAssassin (www.spamassassin.org) to filter spam on a few accounts that get a lot of spam - ask me if you want more details on this.

You can block executable attachments (which catches nearly all current Microsoft viruses) with Russell Nelson's patch - see http://www.qmail.org/qmail-smtpd-viruscan-1.2.patch

The documentation on www.lifewithqmail.org is excellent and will help you to get qmail up and running.

I was under the impression that qmail runs under unix/linux the machine that is going to be my mail server is Windows 2000 pro.
Will qmail still work under windows?

Michael

No.

I think I have settled on ArGoSoft's Mail Server as my program. Now the question is who do I contact about getting DNS to point to my server?
Also if anyone has used this software, what are your comments on it? Good, bad, ugly?

Michael

I have been seriously considering that and I have a PIII 550 box just sitting around. The only problem is that I've never even SEEN a computer with Linux on it (no I have not been living in a cave somewhere) so I wouldn't know where to start with the installation. Any good websites with a "hold my hand" tutorial for linux and I know that there are many versions of linux out there so which ones do you guys recommend?

-Michael

can you setup qmail to have a page where users can create accounts? or do you have to do this manually?

Don't know if you've gone past the point of no return, but Merak is very good windows based mail server. Can be bundeled with webmail, antivirus, messaging, etc... Depends what you mean by cheap though. Cheaper than most. URL

I have actually begun starting to install debian linux on a spare machine. I am having a few "issues" trying to get it running and have already posted in the linux forum. Still open to any sugestions/recommendations for an email server.

-Michael

And this is your first foray into Linux? Good luck!

If this is your first time with Linux, I'd have recommended something more newbie-friendly, like SuSE. But see how you get on with Debian -- it's much better in the long run.

Back to qmail, then See my first post.

I was actually able to intall the os, get it online, and stare at a command prompt. The problem is that when I try to load a gui like xdm or kdm, my screen flashes about three times and then back to the command prompt.

Still forging ahead,
Michael

Scratch the last attempt to install debian. Went with Knoppix and system is up and running. (Actually using it now to write this post.) Linux is a whole new world.
Anyhow, I'm going to attempt to install and configure qmail now. I'll let you guys know what happens. Thanks for all the help.

MICHAEL