A good Mail Server for Mac?

Type 17

I've been rooting through the 'net looking for a good mail server for the scenario below - anyone got any experience with something good that they'd recommend?

Small office, four iMac clients, one Mac Pro 'server' (serving a Filemaker DB to the clients, but using Mac OS X client version)

IMAP email to all clients from hosted Blacknight server - all clients need to see the same mailbox ("customer.enquiries@xxx.ie" kind of thing) - IMAP is great because everyone can see who has dealt with what, and what has been replied to, etc.

Problem is that hosted server (1Gb) keeps filling up fairly quickly, which stops email service, and when one client is used to move mails to the hard drive, the other clients can't see those mails any more (an issue when custs call about older queries). We could buy more hosted space, but that only delays the issue - it still fills up eventually.

Obviously the solution is to put a mail server app on the Mac Pro and set the clients up to get their mail from it, with the mail server app pulling in the mail from the hosted server immediately, preventing build-up on the hosted space.

However, there aren't many obvious candidates out there, and even the expensive ones seem to have bugs/flaws when you read the reviews. PS: The built-in mail server in the Mac Pro (10.5.6 Client OS) seems have a bug whereby mails opened on one client do not get marked read on the others :rolleyes: so that is out for now.

Anyone using anything that they'd recommend? Thanks in advance

babypink

I would give MailServe Pro a go......oh and turn on Dovecot (enables multi-level imap folders)

http://cutedgesystems.com/software/MailServePro/

nialler

I've just been in with a client and disabled os x 10.4s mail on their mail/ftp/http/php etc server, after 2 years it was becoming to problematic and unstable (each user was ranging from 1-8gb mailboxes), was using mailserve to configure. Had a look around the net and Kerio seemed to be both a relatively cost effective groupware/mail solution while being quite stable and powerful, running a trial of it at the moment so we'll see how it goes.

N

Type 17

nialler wrote: »

I've just been in with a client and disabled os x 10.4s mail on their mail/ftp/http/php etc server, after 2 years it was becoming to problematic and unstable (each user was ranging from 1-8gb mailboxes), was using mailserve to configure. Had a look around the net and Kerio seemed to be both a relatively cost effective groupware/mail solution while being quite stable and powerful, running a trial of it at the moment so we'll see how it goes.

N

Interesting, would love to hear how the trial goes.
On the other hand, KMS is a lot more than is required and, as a result, works out quite expensive for what we need. However, if nothing else works, then we might have to bite the bullet.

Type 17

babypink wrote: »

I would give MailServe Pro a go......oh and turn on Dovecot (enables multi-level imap folders)

http://cutedgesystems.com/software/MailServePro/

Ironically, the app that was giving the IMAP read/unread syncing issue was Mailserve (non-Pro version). I've sent a mail to the author, Bernard Teo, to see if it is my setup or is a bug. Would like to use Mailserve (Pro), as it does all that we need for less than US$30.

Type 17

Update: Bernard Teo reckons the loss of read/unread sync across different clients is a Mail.app bug, and that I should try other email client apps, which I am about to do.

nialler

Type - I've used Thurnderbird, Mail.app, Entourage, all exhibited the same behaviour, my gut instinct is that I may have gotten in to deep in the unix config files and f3kked things up but it was stable for about 20 months just started to all fall apart in the last few months.

Type 17

nialler wrote: »

Type - I've used Thurnderbird, Mail.app, Entourage, all exhibited the same behaviour, my gut instinct is that I may have gotten in to deep in the unix config files and f3kked things up but it was stable for about 20 months just started to all fall apart in the last few months.

Hmmm, I've no experience of Unix commands, so any alterations have been done through GUIs like MailServe or Cocktail, but I have the issue anyway...

Hugh_C

Type 17 wrote: »

Obviously the solution is to put a mail server app on the Mac Pro and set the clients up to get their mail from it, with the mail server app pulling in the mail from the hosted server immediately, preventing build-up on the hosted space.

Why obviously?

Would you consider moving the lot over to Gmail and get them to host it (under your own domain) - more robust than any home-served solution. I think it's reasonably cheap too, and free to test as I understand it. Oh, and it's eminently searchable.

I tried running an imap server at home for the gas, and it fell over a lot, can't for the life of me remember which server it was though.

Hugh

Type 17

Hugh_C wrote: »

Would you consider moving the lot over to Gmail and get them to host it (under your own domain) - more robust than any home-served solution. I think it's reasonably cheap too, and free to test as I understand it. Oh, and it's eminently searchable.

Yes, but it's still hosted space, and the business generates about 500Mb in sent and received mail per month (large pic attachments are common), so any hosted space will eventually fill up like the Blacknight space - the idea of having the live mail and mail archive on the Mac Pro is that we have over 100Gb to use and can add more HDs if required (currently has 2 x 250 Gb mirrored RAID drives and is supported through a UPS).

Hugh_C

Hope you have the most bodacious of backup strategies in place ...

Red Alert

Hosted GMail is probably what you're looking for. Otherwise if you're doing it in house I'd just do it properly and buy a copy of Mac OS X server or invest in a Linux box.

Talisman

If it's a support system you're looking for then why not get something like Kayako's Support Suite. Email sent to customer.enquiries@xxx.ie can be automatically fed into the support suite and assigned a ticket. All responses to the ticket are also filed in the system.

If you want to just use email then I would also recommend you use hosted email from Google Apps - the Premier package costs $50 per user per year and can store 25GB per mailbox.

Type 17

I'm still testing a few things, more updates to follow...

colm_c

+1 for the Gmail / Apps for your domain, much more cost effective than setting up and maintaining a mail server.