Mail server of choice?

Inspector Gadget

Hi folks...
I've been asked to set up a mail server for a small business that are getting a DSL line from eircon (hence, I assume, NAT, and as such the server can't be directly "net-facing", and will be exchanging messages with an ISP's mail server). Anyway, in the name of stability, and simple fire-and-forget lack of worry, I want to go down the Unix/Linux route, and would like to avoid the satanic incantations I've read are necessary to change the configuration files for sendmail.

Question is: Should I stick with sendmail (it'll be installed along with the Linux distro anyway) or should I go for something like qmail, or exim, or something else entirely? Any comments explaining your choices would be appreciated.

TIA,
Gadget.

Typedef

I use postfix and the washington university IMAP server.

Linux 2.4.x and iptables.

rp_pppoe for the dsl and Slackware (*because Slackware is leet... so there).

Enjoy.

Typedef

comments hmm?

postfix is piss easy to install and has not to date * let me down on any client sites... so I use it, basically.

The cool thing about postfix is that it replaces the sendmail binaries with it's own binaries.... so applications that 'assume' sendmail is present still work with no diminution of functionality since postfix is supposed to support all the command line options of sendmail... and then some, but postfix configuration and administration is as I say.... piss easy...

*touch wood.

Inspector Gadget

...it's definitely worth a look!

Cheers,
Gadget

Draco

I like qmail myself. If you follow Life with Qmail it's a piece of cake to setup. It also replaces the sendmail binaries with its own. I've been very happy with it as it has been very stable. It does take a little while to get to grips with but once you get the hang of it, it's fine.

Ronin

exim or sendmail. Both are easy enough to configure.

People are just afraid of sendmail because its main cfg file is somewhat smelly. But using m4 to create the cfg files makes things easier..Reading the "bat book" makes things easier again.

Exim is pretty sweet.

Ro.

longword

Originally posted by Ronin
Reading the "bat book" makes things easier again.

And as a side-benefit, the Bat Book is heavy enough to flatten small children and animals.

I'd suggest postfix and make damned sure you use Maildir format for the storage as opposed to mbox - a feature that's moderately difficult to achieve on sendmail. For the IMAP server I'd suggest Courier-IMAP (which demands Maildir).

You might get something out of reading this MTA performance comparison page, but I doubt it.

Inspector Gadget

Thanks for all the replies... I'm still looking at this to see what's most suitable (i.e. effective and possible for me to do)

Cheers,
Gadget