Introduction

Setting up a mail server for your website will enable you to send and receive emails under your domain, adding to the professionalism of your website and giving you full control over your website. Ubuntu is currently one of the most popular Linux distributions and a good choice to host mail servers since it's stable, well supported by its community and its tool ecosystem is rich.

In this tutorial, we are going to install and set up a mail server on Ubuntu. In this tutorial, be it business or personal projects, all the steps you need to follow to accomplish your very own mail server will be clearly presented.

 

Prerequisites for Setting Up Ubuntu Mail Server

Assuming you're about to set up an Ubuntu mail server, first make sure that you have the following:

  • VPS or Dedicated Server: Hosting services like VPS Hosting.LK offer great server solutions.
  • Ubuntu Installed: You'll need to have Ubuntu 20.04 or later installed.
  • Basic Linux Knowledge: You will need to have some basic knowledge of the Linux terminal commands.
  • Static IP Address: This is required for DNS record configuration.
  • Domain Name: The DNS records, such as MX, A and SPF, should be set up correctly.
  • Server Packages: The packages required are Postfix SMTP, Dovecot IMAP/POP3 and MySQL for mailbox administration.

 

Step 1 – Update Your Server and Install Essential Packages

1. Start by updating your server:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Then install the required packages:

sudo apt install postfix dovecot-core dovecot-imapd dovecot-pop3d mysql-server -y 

  • Postfix: Handles sending emails via SMTP.
  • Dovecot: Enables receiving emails via IMAP/POP3 protocols.
  • MySQL: Stores mailbox information.

 

Step 2 – Configure Postfix for Sending Emails

The SMTP server, which will send out emails, is Postfix. To configure,

1. Edit the Postfix configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/postfix/main.cf

2. Replace the next lines with your domain:

makefile

myhostname = mail.yourdomain.com  
mydomain = yourdomain.com  
myorigin = /etc/mailname  
inet_interfaces = all  
inet_protocols = ipv4  

3. Restart Postfix to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart postfix

4. You can try delivering emails by using the mail command or external utilities.

 

Step 3 – Configuring Dovecot for Receiving Emails

Dovecot will take responsibility for receiving emails. To do that, run the following:

1. Configure the main Dovecot configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf

2.Ensure the following lines are uncommented:

makefile

protocols = imap pop3 lmtp  
mail_location = maildir:~/Maildir  

3. Restart Dovecot:

sudo systemctl restart dovecot

 

You should now be able to receive emails from external e-mail clients such as Thunderbird.

 

Step 4 – Secure Your Mail Server with SSL/TLS

Encrypting email communication with SSL/TLS is an essential security feature.

1. Install certbot to generate SSL certificates:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

2. Generate certificates for your domain

sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d mail.yourdomain.com

 

3. Configure Postfix and Dovecot to make use of these certificates by editing their respective configuration files.

Restart both services after editing their configuration.

 

Step 5 – Configure MySQL for Virtual Mailboxes

MySQL facilitates multiple mailbox management with ease:

1.  Create a database and user:

sudo mysql  
CREATE DATABASE mailserver;  
CREATE USER 'mailuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';  
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON mailserver.* TO 'mailuser'@'localhost';  
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;  
EXIT;  

2. Link Postfix and Dovecot to the database by modifying their configuration files to authenticate users via MySQL.

 

Step 6 – Spam filtering and Security Setting

1. Install SpamAssassin

sudo apt install spamassassin -y

2. Set up virus protection

sudo apt install clamav clamav-daemon -y

3. Block unrecognized IPs via fail2ban

sudo apt install fail2ban -y

Enable them so that mail-server should be decent, functional and secure as well.

 

 

Step 7- Test Your Mail Server

1. Send a test email from the terminal:

 echo "Test email body" | mail -s "Test Subject" [email protected]

2. Verify that emails are correctly delivered and received.

3. Test with an email client like Outlook or Thunderbird to make sure all is compatible.

 

Step 8 – Monitoring and Maintenance of Your Mail Server

1. Ensure uptime by using monitoring tools such as Nagios or Monit.

2. Keep installed packages updated regularly:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

3. Regularly back up your configuration files and mail directories to prevent any data loss.

 

Conclusion

These steps will walk you through the setup of a complete functional Ubuntu mail server that will handle e-mail communications for your website. Owning your mail server gives you full control, privacy and customization, none of which you'd get from any third-party service. Power your mail server with VPS Hosting.LK for reliable hosting.

Get started today and enjoy the benefits of managing your email system yourself.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What would be the best hosting setup for an Ubuntu mail server?
  • The best hosting setup would be a VPS or a dedicated server with a static IP.
  1. Can I use a free domain for my mail server?
  • Yes, you can, but it's always better to use a professional domain for credibility.
  1. Is it safe to host my own mail server?
  • Yes, provided the implementation of at least SSL/TLS, SpamAssassin and fail2ban are in place.
  1. What are some common mistakes when setting up and how do I troubleshoot them?
  • The most common mistakes are misconfiguration of DNS records and missing dependencies. Check logs for detailed error messages.
  1. Is there any alternative to Postfix/Dovecot for setting up a mail server?
  • Yes, you could use Exim, Zimbra or Mail-in-a-Box.