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.