hello this is my first post here and im new to opensuse i was wondering if anyone could help me with figuring out how to install a mail server by itself only using the command line. its for a class project and i have no clue where to start. i have looked online and other forums but i havent found anything specific to what i need. I am using Opensuse 12.2 (minimal installation) my professor doesnt like using a gui with linux so he has us learning only with the command line which i admit it pretty fun. anyways here is what i need to do (im not asking anyone to do my work for me but rather give me a push in the right direction).
i need to explain how to configure an email server for suse 12.2 by only using the command line. plus i need to take screen shots of the process to show the needed output. the professor wants to see the output to prove we did it right since we have to finish the project at home.
if someone can help me out it would be much appreciated, i know how to set up the stuff with yast and all but like i said the professor doesnt want us to use a gui which makes it more challenging and im a noob in training with the command line.
p.s. i also have to setup an FTP server (command line only) if anyone can help with that thanks.
The prof is right, and we’re not going to do your home work. Just a couple tips. You have to find out which mail server software is installed, because the configuration of pure sendmail, postfix, exim or any other is different. openSUSE uses postfix by default. Read some postfix tutorial and take your time. Setting up a mail server is NOT the task that sysadmins prefer to do. The file you have to modify is /etc/postfix/main.cf and maybe a couple other ones, but I don’t think the prof is expecting that. Actually, I doubt he’s expecting you to write /etc/postfix/main.cf manually.
Under openSUSE, you have to set SMTPD_LISTEN_REMOTE to “yes” in /etc/sysconfig/mail if you want the MTA (Mail transfer agent) to accept incoming mails*.
> i need to explain how to configure an email server for suse 12.2 by
> only using the command line. plus i need to take screen shots of the
> process to show the needed output. the professor wants to see the output
> to prove we did it right since we have to finish the project at home.
Ok.
With openSUSE you can set up a basic server using YaST in text mode, there is a module for
that, just follow your nose. If I remember right there is a chapter in the reference book at doc.opensuse.org.
About using yast - well, it doesn’t configure all, and I never cared too much to know from
memory all the elements it changes. Make a photo of the files before using it, and after, and
then do it by hand, if you wish. That way you see what is the basic setup needed.
After setting up the server, you do the modifications with an editor with the files in
/etc/postfix - the web of postfix has a lot of documentation on it.
Notice that what people call a mail server is actually two main elements: smtp server (postfix,
typically) amd pop/imap server (dovecot, for example). Thus you also need to set up dovecot,
which is pretty simple, actually. I will not say how, because it would be repeating what the
documentation say.
Then you can add antispam/virus checking: use amavis-new.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)