How to setup a mail server on windows - part 4/4 Verifying setup

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 4/4

Verifying setup

 Mail server setup verification

1.    Set up an IMAP mail account in Outlook. Do not forget to enable SMTP-Authentication under account creation wizard.

2.    Send out an email to Gmail using the email address created in step 1 within Outlook and check if mail comes in “Monitor” log.

3.    Reply this mail in Gmail and check if mail comes in “Monitor” log.

4.    Resolve if there is a SPAMHAUS  issue that your mail server is on one of the block list and thus mails cannot be delivered in step 2.

5.    Check IP in SenderBase if your mail server IP does not exist in any of the block list in Spamhaus and its associated database.

Optional setup

1.    In most cases, your users are using Outlook 2007, 2010 or 2013. EVO Collaborator for Outlook helps users to stay synchronized for their Contacts and Calendars along with EVO Collaboration Add-on services.

a.     Download ECO. Run Setup.exe and follow the instruction.

b.     Open Outlook, and click on “Configure profile(s)”

c.     Click on “EVO – not configured”

d.     Enter your server’s hostname, your username, and your password

e.     Click “TEST” to authenticate the profile

f.      Once authenticated, click on “Apply” and “Quit”

g.     Now, ECO will start its initial synchronization. As completed, ECO will also perform synchronization every 300 seconds or when any change is made

2.    If you have iOS devices, Thunderbird with plug-ins, OS X systems, Blackberry OS10, or Android devices, please visit “Support” section on EVO’s official website for further detail on test procedures.

3.    If you have EvoServ installed, follow the steps below to test webmail

a.     Open a web browser and enter http://<your_mail_server>/roundcube/

b.     Once webmail screen appears, enter “user@yourdomain.com” and password to log in

Resources:

1.    Spamhaus (http://www.spamhaus.org/) – This is a reliable source of block list and assist you to make comparison against the lists.

2.    SenderBase – (http://www.senderbase.org/) – This is an IP eputation database that determines whether your mail server has a good reputation

3.    Microsoft Outlook – (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/) – This is perhaps the most commonly used mail client application on the market.

4.    Gmail – (http://www.gmail.com/) – This is perhaps the most commonly used webmail and related services on the market.

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 3/4 mail server software setup

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 3/4

Mail Server Software setup

Here, we use EVO Mail Server as an example for demonstration:

1.    Download the EVO Mail Server from EVO’s Official Website

2.    Run Setup.exe as administrator.

3.    Run EVO Mail Server GUI and go to “Settings” tab. Enter yourdomain.com in space next to “Primary domain”.

4.    Go to “Status” tab. Scroll down to “Server setting status” section. Click “Circling” symbol to the right to set up Windows Firewall.

5.    Go to “Accounts” tab. Click on “New” to create a new account by entering all necessary information such as name, department, contact numbers, username, password and etc.

Optional setup

1.    Besides mail service, you enable ECA (EVO Collaboration Add-on) to provide your users calendar and contact (address book) services.

a.     Go to “Settings” tab and scroll down to “9. EVO Collaboration Add-ons: CardDAV and CalDAV Setting”

b.     Click the “Enabled” switch to “YES”

c.     You will be prompted to download and install ECA and VC++ 2008.

d.     Click on “Check conf.” and then click on “START” to start DAV service

2.    EVO Mail Server provides webmail for your convenience along with web-GUI user account utility.

a.     Download“EvoServ” from EVO Official Website and unzip the downloaded evoserv.zip to C:\

b.     Run a DOS prompt as administrator

c.     Change directory to C:\EvoServ and run “C:\EvoServ\serviceinstall.bat”

3.    Verify DNS setup on “Status” tab.

FAQ:

1.    Notes for Internet Explorer – Please make sure you install Internet Explorer 8 or later and complete all related Windows Updates.

2.    Notes for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users – You must update your Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to the latest service packs to run.

Resources:

1.    EVO Mail Server – This state-of-the-art mail server software provides you with stable running longevity while not losing its performance.

2.    EVO Collaborator for Outlook – This Outlook add-in tool enables you to synchronize your way to various CardDAV/CalDAV services you see on the market. You are constantly kept up with your calendar and contacts anywhere you go.

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 2/4 router and firewall setup

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 2/4
Router and firewall setup

There may be a router and/or firewall between Internet and your mail server. Without proper configuration, your mail server is totally unreachable by Internet users.

If you happen to have a router

1.    Your mail server pc may either obtain its LAN IP address from a reserved (static) IP within DHCP’s IP pool or you need to manually assign a static IP to it.

2.    Connect to the router’s admin interface in a web browser where it is usually accessible via http://192.168.*.1/ in most cases. Please refer to your router's user manual for more detail.

3.    Go to a section called “Virtual Server” or “Port Forwarding” in most case; configure port mappings to your mail server's LAN IP. Please refer to your router’s user manual for more detail. Necessary TCP ports are listed as below:

25, 110,143,465,587,993,995

IF you happen to have a firewall

1.    Open all TCP ports above inbound for mail server use.

Optional setup

1.    For hosting additional services of webmail and calendar (CalDAV) & contact (CardDAV) , please open the following TCP ports in router and firewall:

a.     Webmail: TCP 80 for non-SSL

b.     CalDAV & CardDAV: TCP 8008 for non-SSL

c.     CalDAV: TCP 8443 for SSL

d.     CardDAV: TCP 8843 for SSL

2.    If your network and/or PC deploy some kind of firewall software that may inspect the mail traffic, you’d better disable this protocol monitoring feature within the firewall software or it will cause interference during mail delivery.

FAQ

1.    How do I connect to my router’s admin interface?

Simply find out from your router’s user manual or Google it.

2.    Is it necessary to disable firewall's packet inspection?

Yes, it is necessary. According to our experience, packet inspection and protocol monitoring only cause trouble.

Resources

1.    Recommended router: ASUS RT-AC66U (http://www.asus.com/Networking/RTAC66U/) – This router provides hardware NAT and high session number and they fit your needs for mail server hosting purposes.

2.    Recommended antivirus and firewall software: ESET NOD32 Antivirus (http://www.eset.com/int/home/products/antivirus/) – This antivirus software application enables EVO Mail Server to utilize its command line tool for further virus-scanning integration in real-time.

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 1/4 network setup

How to setup a mail server on windows - part 1/4

Network setup

Network pre-requisite:

Static IP address

Domain name

Step 1 of 4

a.     Contact your local ISP and tell them you want a static-IP Internet connection

Step 2 of 4 (if you have a domain name, skip this step)

a.        Go to domain name provider and find out if your domain is available to register?

b.        Once a valid domain name is found, register with provider according to your need

Step 3 of 4

a.     Configuring you DNS by adding an A record for your domain, such as mail.YourDomain.com. The following diagram is an example of ZONEEDIT.COM screenshot.

Step 4 of 4

a.     In your DNS settings, add the A record in step 3 as mx record for your domain. The following diagram is an example of ZONEEDIT.COM screenshot.

Optional setup

1.      More DNS record options:

a.     SPF (http://www.openspf.org/) – This record identifies legitimate SMTP server for your domain to the destination mail servers.

b.     SRV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRV_record) – These records provide automatic service discovery for mail clients.

2.      Reverse IP resolution – If you use the ISP’s default reverse resolution value for static IP, mails should have no problem going through. If your IP has no reverse IP resolution value, then you need to contact your ISP to set one for it

Mail server hosting alternatives

1.    Using VPS such as Amazon EC2: Sometimes, it is a hassle to prepare both hardware and its operating system. We have an option by hosting a rental server on the cloud.

FAQ:

1.    Can I use dynamic iP?

No, a mail server requires a static IP to operate properly.

2.    Is reverse resolution absolutely necessary?

Yes, your static IP should have a reverse resolution value assigned by your ISP. If there is no value in it, then contact your ISP and set one for it.

3.    Is SPF record absolutely necessary?

No, it is not necessary. However, with SPF, it stands a bigger chance for major mail servers on Internet to accept the sending mails from you.

4.    Is SRV record absolutely necessary?

No, auto service discovery is not widely supported yet.

5.    Is MX record necessary?

Yes, MX record indicates where mails should be delivered to.

RESOURCES:

1.    ZONEEDIT (http://www.zoneedit.com/) – ZONEEDIT provides DNS hosting service that covers all necessary DNS records you need for mail server purposes, including SPF and SRV records.

2.    AMAZON EC2 (http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/) – If you feel it is a hassle to prepare hardware/windows/environment on premise, this cloud VPS service may fit your need.

3.    MX TOOL BOX (http://mxtoolbox.com/) – This website provides useful tools that help you detect current DNS settings on your domain and server settings.