how to configure email server

[rabit]

here's the problem

i have a mandrake 9.2 box on a public IP *.*.*.100

then i have a network of windows 2000 systems in 192.168.111.* range hidden behind a public router w/ *.*.*.98 IP

i want to use the mandrake box as a email server for incoming and outgoing mail.

the smtp port was already open when i installed mandrake so then i manually installed imap rpm after which the pop3 became open

when i say that these ports were open i mean that they were visible on a nmap scan... I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY!

then i created a user "test" and added him to a "mail" group on the mandrake system.

then i went to one of the windows 2000 workstations and tried to configure outlook express to use my linux box as incoming and outgoing server.

i put in the user test and pop3 and then i "auto test" the config

the outlook sees the system and both of the (smtp and pop3) as open but then on the 4th step it cannot log on into pop3 server and 5th step cannot sent email throug smtp server...

what could be the problem

[thehorse13]

#1 You will never receive mail until you setup MX records
#2 Log files are your best friend in this case. Check out what they have to say.
#3 Attempt to manually forward a message through your mandrake box and see what happens. Do this by telnetting to port 25 and then issue the typical mail commands HELO, MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, DATA, ect..

Honestly this can be a number of things but start with the basics and see what you turn up.

[Computernerd22]

i went to one of the windows 2000 workstations and tried to configure outlook express to use my linux box as incoming and outgoing server.

i put in the user test and pop3 and then i "auto test" the config

the outlook sees the system and both of the (smtp and pop3) as open but then on the 4th step it cannot log on into pop3 server and 5th step cannot sent email throug smtp server...

what could be the problem

Are you sure you have the correct mail servers? Does your SMTP require authentication? It's usually mail.isp.com or pop.isp.com (port 110) & smtp.isp.com (port 25) have you tried sending yourself a test message? Do you have any current antiviruses running while your sending/reciving e-mail? Is their anyway you can display the Outlook express error code?

[rcgreen]

I think the workstation hostname has to match the user account name
on the server, and use the password while logging on.

[Tedob1]

are you pointing the clients to the internal or external ip?

[rabit]

what are MX records and how do i set them up?

also...i nmap'ed the machine and the funny thing is that nmap cannot see the smtp running on the machine's actual IP only on a loopback...

same thing happend when i nmap'ed the mandrake system from the windows machines ....

i tried to configure the "XIMIAN Evolution" on the machine itself but it won't work either, therfore the problem is the configuration.

how can i test if i can send mail from the shell? can someone type out the command verbatim for me

one last thing...

i tried to follow this article. because i read articles from this guy in Linux Jurnal and he's understandable to me...

http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=1350/sam0002f/

but i have a problem.

first, the files are never in the directory where he says they should be because i have a different distro and even when i find them they look nothing like in the article

second, he says i need to install sendmail. in the config of outlook or evolution when you choose the type of outgoing server there is a choice between sendmail and smtp. do i need sendmail if the smtp is running on a loopback... granted maybe it's not configured properly but it's running, right??? but i still don't get it since from what i understand sandmail uses smtp as a protocol ... so they are like apples and oranges.... right???

pls give me any helpfull links that you know of

thanx for your time

[rabit]

oh and by the way the cliens are on a private range behind a router which is connected to a DSL modem

the linux machine is connected to that very same modem. the modem. router and linux box are all on public IP's

the linux machine is also a web server

[shakeshuck]

TheHorse is right on this one... Try telnetting to the machine from another box on port 25 i.e.
telnet <IP address> 25

If you don't get a connection, you don't have an SMTP server running. If this is the case, install sendmail (it's as good as any).

When this is running you can test the config by sending a message to someone on the same box by issuing (for example):
echo Hello | sendmail -v bill.gates

The -v switch shows the connection details as well as error messages.

[rabit]

i tried to telnet to it from one of the windows machines but it's not working. how come i can see the port open on loopback...

pls explain... do you know

[shakeshuck]

As well as having the port open, you need to have a process 'listening' on port 25 for incoming traffic. In sendmail's case, the output from the ps command on the running process looks similar to:

whoever 3891 1 0 Jun 2 ? 4:44 sendmail: accepting connections on port 25