External Mail Server

[SeanMatula]

For security reasons, I do not want to point an MX record at our corporate network. I would, however, like to run Scalix server on an internal network machine (our web host is Windows, or I’d install Scalix there).

So my question is this: can Scalix server be setup so that it fetches all incoming mail from an external mail server and forwards all outgoing mail to that same server?

Basically, I want our mail-host to do all the security-risky stuff … an just have scalix come in and grab everything after it has passed the mail-server’s antivirus and junk filters.

[SeanMatula]

I take it from the lack of replies that this isn't possible

[Valerion]

What you need to do is set up a relay server, and have the MX records point to that machine. Tell that machine to send all mail destined for your domain onwards to the Scalix server, or have the server spool for you and use fetchmail to issue an ETRN to pull the mail off.

On the Scalix server put the hostname of the machine (DNS name) in sendmail.cf in the DS parameter (eg. DSrelay.domain.com) and you should be set.

[KKJensen]

Has anyone figured this out so it works? I'm pretty new to scalix and haven't used linux much since redhat 6 but I've managed to get everything going except this fetchmail thing.

Basically we have an external mail server that is TERRIBLE at junkmail and we're going to dump the service soon, but in the meantime we want to get scalix deployed to everyone.

Could someone help me with a few, finer detailed steps on setting up the fetchmail to an external server?

I've read that each user will have to reveal their password to get this to work...there's no functionality within scalix to use their current password (assuming it's the same one as the external server?)

[Valerion]

Assuming your upstream server uses POP3, you can put the following in the crontab

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*/15 * * * *    /usr/bin/fetchmail -f /etc/fetchmailrc >/dev/null 2>&1

Then in your /etc/fetchmailrc you put somehing like the following for each user you want to pull off (I put everything on one line):

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poll pop.isp.com with protocol pop3 username user@isp.com
with password mypassword is user@scalix.server.com here fetchall

Since fetchmail has no way to retrieve the Scalix password in a clear-text format, it can't use that for authentication, unfortunatedly.

[KKJensen]

Thanks for the info.

I recall the second of the two commands after reading up on fetchmail on http://linux.cudeso.be/linuxdoc/fetchmail.php but what does the first command do?

I'm still remembering and learning linux so I'm afraid I don't know what the crontab is...

thanks again for the help.

[Valerion]

You edit it with

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crontab -e

as root. It schedules certain commands to be run at certain intervals.

I would suggest you take a look at http://www.tldp.org/ - specifically http://www.tldp.org/LDP/lame/LAME/linux ... index.html

cron is discussed in chapter 9.4.

[KKJensen]

Found it and modified it.

">/dev/nul" nuls the output so it can run without a terminal window

What does the "2>&1" do?

[ScalixSupport]

"2>&1" means "redirect standard error (2) to the same place as standard outputt (1.)

Regards,
Don

[KKJensen]

I'm having an issue with the crontab entry.

I open the /etc/crontab file and add the following line exactly at the end

*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/fetchmail -f /etc/.fetchmailrc >/dev/null 2>&1

I then save and close the file and logoff. Waiting 10-15 doesn't produce anything. Check the external pop3 servers webmail I see I have mail. Going back to a terminal window (loggin in as root) I run:

"/usr/bin/fetchmail -f /etc/.fetchmailrc" which proceeds to download the mail successfullly.

What am I missing so this happens on it's own. I've read everything I can and it doesn't seem like it's doing anything at all, yet along every 5 min.

[ScalixSupport]

Try restarting you crond daemon.

/etc/init.d/crond restart

Regards,
Don

[KKJensen]

So I restarted it and waited...and waited.

I changed the line to read:
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/fetchmail -f /etc/.fetchmailrc >/usr/scalix.lot

Again, running the whole part after the crontab asterixes does what it is supposed to and generates a log file. Leaving it in the /etc/crontab file does nothing.

Is there another way to check and see if crontab is running properly??? Does it matter if I'm logged in or not? I'm currently logged in as root and I've done all the setup logged in as such.

[KKJensen]

okay...figured it out...not really, but it works.

Typing the crontab -e and Vi'ing (yeck!) my way though adding the line and saving seems to work.

So I guess the crontab file in the /etc/ directory isn't the right one...I guess.

[ScalixSupport]

Good job. Yes, crontab -e is the way to go. If your running linux get used to vi.

The /etc/crontab file is used to run scripts that are in

/etc/cron.daily
/etc/cron.hourly
/etc/cron.monthly
/etc/cron.weekly

By default cron jobs sends a email to the user account executing the cronjob. If this is not needed put the following command At the end of the cron job line.

>/dev/null 2>&1

Regards,
Don