Centos 7 mail server step by step

Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up a mail server on CentOS 7:

Step 1: Install the necessary packages

Open a terminal and run the following command to install the necessary packages:

sudo yum install postfix dovecot-imapd dovecot-pop3d dovecot-lmtpd

This will install the Postfix mail transfer agent, Dovecot IMAP and POP3 server, and Dovecot LMTP server.

Step 2: Configure Postfix

Edit the Postfix configuration file using the following command:

sudo nano /etc/postfix/main.cf

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

mydestination = example.com
myhostname = mail.example.com
myorigin = $myhostname

Replace example.com with your domain name.

Step 3: Configure Dovecot

Edit the Dovecot configuration file using the following command:

sudo nano /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir
namespace inbox {
  inbox = yes
  mailbox Trash {
    auto = subscribe
  }
  mailbox Spam {
    auto = subscribe
  }
}

Step 4: Configure Dovecot IMAP and POP3

Edit the Dovecot IMAP and POP3 configuration files using the following commands:

sudo nano /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-auth.conf
sudo nano /etc/dovecot/conf.d/10-ssl.conf

Add the following lines to the end of each file:

auth_mechanisms = plain login
ssl = required
ssl_cert = </etc/pki/tls/certs/localhost.crt
ssl_key = </etc/pki/tls/private/localhost.key

Step 5: Create a MySQL database for authentication

Create a new MySQL database and user for authentication:

sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE mail;
CREATE USER 'mailuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON mail.* TO 'mailuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Replace password with a strong password.

Step 6: Configure Postfix to use MySQL for authentication

Edit the Postfix configuration file using the following command:

sudo nano /etc/postfix/mysql.cf

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

hosts = localhost
user = mailuser
password = password
database = mail

Replace password with the password you created in Step 5.

Step 7: Restart Postfix and Dovecot

Restart the Postfix and Dovecot services using the following commands:

sudo systemctl restart postfix
sudo systemctl restart dovecot

Step 8: Test the mail server

Use a mail client such as Thunderbird or Outlook to test the mail server. You can also use the telnet command to test the mail server:

telnet mail.example.com 25

Replace mail.example.com with your mail server's hostname.

Step 9: Configure DNS

Configure your DNS settings to point to your mail server. You will need to create a MX record that points to your mail server's hostname.

Step 10: Test the mail server with DNS

Use a mail client such as Thunderbird or Outlook to test the mail server with DNS. You should be able to send and receive emails using your mail server.

That's it! You now have a fully functional mail server on CentOS 7.

Mail Knowledge

Centos 7 mail server step by step