[linux-help] Re: Mail server basics

[Carl D Cravens <raven@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Nathan wrote:

> This is the kind of info I need.  So the mail actually
> resides on and belongs to Linux, and the IMAP server
> just accesses it?

The mailbox is just a text file, usually in /var/spool/mail/<username>

> I'd also like to have some sort of webmail server.  Does that also
> access the email directly from the OS, or is it laying on top of the
> IMAP server?  Anyone have any favorite webmail software?

You can probably find webmail servers that do both, though I'd expect that
ones that read the file directly are more common.

If you're going to be using an IMAP-based mail reader, I'd suggest an
IMAP-based webmail server as well because of the way it handles the file.
(I can't recommend any though.)

> Do I really need Sendmail?  Is Sendmail an SMTP server, or what is it
> exactly?

Sendmail is an SMTP server... it's purpose is to receive, forward and
store email.  When you send mail from your mail client to a remote mail
server, you're using the SMTP protocol to send to an SMTP server.  (If
you're sending *locally*, like from Pine, it may call the mailer (sendmail
in my case) directly on the command line.)

>  From the reading I've been doing, Sendmail is considered insecure.
> Any other flavors that are considered more secure, but aren't the
> spawn of Satan?

Hum... where are you reading that Sendmail is insecure?  I can't recommend
anything else because that's all I've needed to use.

For what it's worth, Boeing uses Sendmail on its enterprise-wide mail
backbone servers mail from the Internet, that handle every piece of mail
coming into or out of Boeing, between Boeing sites, and even between
individual users within a single site.  (Because of their security
precautions to deal with virii, if I want to send mail to the guy in the
cube next to me, it goes out to a server in some other state before being
sent back to the local Exchange server.)

--
Carl D Cravens (raven@xxxxxxxxxxx)
Squirt guns don't squirt people, kids do.

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