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.