Home server

[Hans L]

Hello:

I am using Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit, as is my wife. I am trying to figure out how to strip as many spams as possible before sending email to our computers and to her iPhone and iPad. Would a home server, with, for instance, SpamAssassin help? If so, where should I look for reviews of home servers for our modest needs?

Thanks,

Hans L

[b0redom]

I honestly wouldn't bother. I use gmail, and I get a LOT of email to from several domains. It is outstanding at catching and filtering out spam.

[Hans L]

b0redom, sounds good. How do you use it? Do you have to pay for it? I have 8 email addresses and my wife has 4.

Regards,

Hans L

[DanceswithUnix]

It can be done, but it is a pain and stuff does still get through.

I run a server running Centos Linux, it has the Exim mail transport which feeds email through SpamAssassin, virus detection and most importantly realtime domain blacklisting.

Read up on it, but in the end like most things in life I have to agree getting Google to do the work is much easier.

[peterb]

It can be done, but it is a pain and stuff does still get through.

I run a server running Centos Linux, it has the Exim mail transport which feeds email through SpamAssassin, virus detection and most importantly realtime domain blacklisting.

Read up on it, but in the end like most things in life I have to agree getting Google to do the work is much easier.

As he says - I have a similar set up, but it comes at at administration overhead, and it doesn't block spam at source.

One advantage if you host your own email domain is that you can set up specific email names for specific services, so if the original user gets hacked, or sells the name on, it is easy to remove.

[Hans L]

It can be done, but it is a pain and stuff does still get through.

I run a server running Centos Linux, it has the Exim mail transport which feeds email through SpamAssassin, virus detection and most importantly realtime domain blacklisting.

Read up on it, but in the end like most things in life I have to agree getting Google to do the work is much easier.

Yes, admin overhead, indeed, but you are in charge!!!

Let me ask, server software like Hamster and hMailserver are only for email, aren't they? If you want to host your own website, they would not do, would they?

Do you have a separate hardware server?

Regards/Hans L

[Hans L]

As he says - I have a similar set up, but it comes at at administration overhead, and it doesn't block spam at source.

One advantage if you host your own email domain is that you can set up specific email names for specific services, so if the original user gets hacked, or sells the name on, it is easy to remove.

Yes, I agree with the admin overhead.

I have 4 domains distributed over 12 email addresses. I will create a "junk" email address that I will use only for "risky" stuff. I have one now, but, unfortunately, I have used it in places that makes it harder to replace. Need a strategy here.

Do you have a separate hardware server?

Regards/Hans l

[Hans L]

I need to ask how Exim, the message transfer agent, relates to POP and IMAP, and if it is necessary to have it if you have POP and a mail client with great filtering ability (I have Becky!, a Japanese small, fast son of a gun)?

Hans L

[peterb]

I have one server that does e mail, web and internal file. Ideally they should be separate boxes, or at least run in VMs to give some separation.

For mail I use Postfix as the MTA and Dovecote to provide Post Office services. It supports POP3 and IMAP - I use IMAP and SSL using a self signed certificate. For Postfix I use SASL for authentication services.

These all run on a fairly low power mini ITX. Board under Linux (and why would you want to use anything else? )

[Hans L]

I have one server that does e mail, web and internal file. Ideally they should be separate boxes, or at least run in VMs to give some separation.

For mail I use Postfix as the MTA and Dovecote to provide Post Office services. It supports POP3 and IMAP - I use IMAP and SSL using a self signed certificate. For Postfix I use SASL for authentication services.

These all run on a fairly low power mini ITX. Board winder Linux (and why would you want to use anything else? )

Can't find Board winder Linux.

[Zak33]

If the spam gets into your domain via your broadband onto your shiny new server,.. you've still lost the bandwidth downloading it before filtering it and spent the electricty and hardware sorting it out.

Who is the domain registered with and can you set up a better spam filter on their mail server to stop it arriving in the first place? Maybe they have one and you've not got it on?

If need be... set up a trial gmail account.. forward all the email to it for a week and just retireve that one email .. and check the gmail spam box daily to see what's being caught, then whitelist the stuff that got caught be accident.

If it's no good.. stop the email being forwarded to it and try something else.

[Hans L]

If the spam gets into your domain via your broadband onto your shiny new server,.. you've still lost the bandwidth downloading it before filtering it and spent the electricty and hardware sorting it out.

Who is the domain registered with and can you set up a better spam filter on their mail server to stop it arriving in the first place? Maybe they have one and you've not got it on?

If need be... set up a trial gmail account.. forward all the email to it for a week and just retireve that one email .. and check the gmail spam box daily to see what's being caught, then whitelist the stuff that got caught be accident.

If it's no good.. stop the email being forwarded to it and try something else.

I have my own domains, so I think it is more complicated that that with Gmail. Although I can filter (at my email host's server) a certain email address to Gmail, then have Gmail in my email client on my computer (POP) and see what happens (at least I believe that is how you would set it up).

HansL

[peterb]

Can't find Board winder Linux.

Typo, board UNDER Linux

I am currently using Fedora Core 17, due an upgrade at some point, current version is 22, but pretty much any distro will do.

[Hans L]

Typo, board UNDER Linux

I am currently using Fedora Core 17, due an upgrade at some point, current version is 22, but pretty much any distro will do.

Okay, so Fedora server OS and a Linux board in your computer!? Now, is Fedora = Linux (since "Board under Linux")?

[peterb]

Fedora is a Linux distribution - one of many - but I guess if you are asking this, you have little Linux experience and the Postfix/dovecote route is one that you might not feel comfortable with...?

Strictly speaking, Linux referees to the core or kernel of the operating system, the bit that handles IO, time sharing, the low level suff. A distribution is the kernel and all the ancillary bits that make it into a fully fledged and useable system, file managers, the shell, and so one.

[Hans L]

Fedora is a Linux distribution - one of many - but I guess if you are asking this, you have little Linux experience and the Postfix/dovecote route is one that you might not feel comfortable with...?

Strictly speaking, Linux referees to the core or kernel of the operating system, the bit that handles IO, time sharing, the low level suff. A distribution is the kernel and all the ancillary bits that make it into a fully fledged and useable system, file managers, the shell, and so one.

Well, I do not feel uncomfortable with Linux (which I want to learn more about). The Postfix/Dovetail combo looks good to me.

One simple question, which even more shows how little I know about Linux: if I have a Linux OS for the server, and I have database data files on the server, trying to use them with FoxPro application software, which only runs on Windows (it is MS software, although no longer developed), is there a problem?

Regards,

Hans L