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Planning Your Installation
If you possess a working knowledge of Windows-based applications and operating systems, you will find that installing IMail Server is as quick and easy as installing some of our other popular software products. We do, however, recommend that you plan the installation to ensure an IMail Server configuration that works for your organization.
Step 1: What Do You Need?
To get the best performance and the ability to expand your mail service, we recommend that you designate a computer to function as your e-mail server and you do not run other servers on the computer.
- Intel (Pentium processor or higher)
- Microsoft Windows 2000 or NT 4.0 or later with Service Pack 6; however, IMail Server will run on Windows NT 3.51.
Note: IMail Server is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Win32s.
It is recommended that the NTFS (rather than FAT) file system be used for increased operability and security.
- Network interface card installed and configured to use Microsoft's TCP/IP for Windows NT or Windows 2000; OR a dial-up TCP/IP connection
- A full-time or dial-up connection to the Internet
- Modem (optional, but needed for mail-to-pager, mail-to-fax, and notifications).
Step 2: How Many Users Will You Support?
Determine how many active users you plan to have and the hardware system needed to support them. The following table depicts system requirements based on the number of users:
1. POP retrieves mail from the server and deletes it from the server. 2. IMAP leaves mail on the server. Step 3: Create DNS Entries for Your Mail Server
Determine the Domain Name System (DNS) settings required for your mail server. Before you create DNS entries, you will need the following information from your Windows TCP/IP settings:
- Primary Host. The primary host is the system on which you install IMail Server.
- Host Name (of Primary Host). The host name for your e-mail server; for example, imailbox
- IP Address (of Primary Host). The IP Address is a numerical address for the e-mail server host; for example: 156.21.50.15
- Domain Name. The domain name identifies the network that the host is on. For example, a domain could be named domain.com.
To identify your mail host in DNS, you will use the Host Name plus the Domain name; for example, imailbox.domain.com. This is also know as the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
To get the DNS information on Windows NT system, double-click the Network icon in the Control Panel, select the Protocols tab, select TCP/IP Protocol, and then click Properties. The TCP/IP window appears. Click DNS to view the domain information.
To get the DNS information on a Windows 2000 system, click the System icon in the Control Panel, select the Network Identification tab, then click Properties. The Identification Changes dialog box shows the domain information.
To properly send and receive e-mail, the following records should be added to your DNS server. If an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is hosting your DNS server, contact your ISP to have the appropriate records added to the DNS server.
- MX Records. A Mail eXchanger (MX) record is used to identify the computer that processes mail for a domain. If you will host multiple domains, you'll need an MX record for each domain. The MX record points to the (fully qualified) host name of the IMail Server (the Primary Host). For example:
domain.com IN MX 10 imailbox.domain.com- A Records. You will need an Address (A) record for the IMail Server that has the IP address of the IMail Server (the Primary Host). Ex: imailbox.domain.com IN A 156.21.50.15
- PTR Records. A pointer (PTR) record is used for reverse lookups. You will need a PTR record that resolves the IP address of your IMail Server (the Primary Host) to the Official Host Name of your IMail domain. Ex: 156.21.50.15 in-addr.arpa. host=imailbox.domain.com
If you need more information about setting up the DNS entries, see:
- A primer with examples in Appendix I of the IMail Server
User's Guide.- DNS tutorials in the IMail Support Center at:
- Our Knowledge Base in the IMail Support Center at:
Step 4: Choose the Type of User Database
Identify the database used by the Primary Host to register and authenticate users. The Primary Host can use one of the following databases for registration and authentication: (Registration is the process by which user mail accounts are created. Authentication is the process by which user IDs and passwords are verified.)
- IMail Database. All user IDs and passwords for mail accounts are stored, separately from either the Windows NT or 2000 user database or any external database, in a proprietary database in the Windows registry.
You can also import Windows NT or 2000 users into an IMail user database, without having them linked to the Windows NT or 2000 user database. For details on importing Windows NT or 2000 users, refer to the IMail Server Users Guide "Importing NT Users" section in Chapter 4.
- Windows NT Database. This database provides automatic creation of user mail accounts for any user listed in the Windows NT or Windows 2000 user database on your host machine.
Please note that the Primary Mail Host needs access to the Windows NT or 2000 user database for your network.
To view a current listing of users in your Windows NT or 2000 user database, use the appropriate administrative tool as described in your Windows documentation.
You will not be able to add or delete users using the IMail Administrator; instead, you must use the appropriate Windows administrative tool (these are different for Windows NT and Windows 2000).
Note: A mailbox and other user files are created for a user when the mail server receives a message for that user, or when a user first accesses the IMail Server through a mail client.
- External Database. IMail Server can use an external database to register and authenticate users. This option lets you specify an existing ODBC-compliant user database and lets you add and delete users either from the IMail Administrator or the external database. IMail Server supports Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Access.
If you will use an external database, make sure you have set up the database connection in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator. Before you start the IMail Server installation, you will need the ODBC System DSN name for the database and the User ID and password for logging on to the database.
- For more information on setting up the external database connection, refer to the IMail Server Users Guide "Configuring the External Database Interface" section in Chapter 3.
- If you want to use a different ODBC database, you can modify IMail Server's ODBCUser.dll file to support it. For more information, read the ODBC topics in our Knowledge Base at:
http://support.ipswitch.com/kb
To display the topics, enter ODBC in the Search for box, select IMail Server from the product list, then click Search.
- You can download the source code for the ODBCUser.dll from:
ftp://ftp.ipswitch.com/Ipswitch/Product_Support/IMail/odbcuser7.zip
Step 5: What E-Mail Services Do You Want to Provide?
Besides the basic SMTP service, identify the other services you would like your e-mail server to provide. For example:
- Service Monitoring (IMail Monitor Service) lets the mail administrator monitor the status of all IMail Services (SMTP, POP3, IMAP, Web Messaging).
- Web Messaging lets users read mail from the server and send mail using a web browser.
- POP3 service lets users retrieve mail and send mail using clients like Qualcomm's Eudora Pro and Microsoft's Outlook. With POP3, user mail is usually stored on the user's PC.
- IMAP4 service lets users read mail from the server and send mail using clients like Qualcomm's Eudora Pro and Microsoft's Outlook. With IMAP4, mail is usually stored on the mail server.
Note: You will have the opportunity to specify these services and more during installation.
Step 6: Determine Security Levels and Access Control
Identify the levels of security and access control needed to ensure the integrity of your mail server. IMail Server provides several ways to secure your e-mail server; for example:
- SMTP Mail Relay options
The mail relay options allow you to set appropriate security that determines who can use your mail server and who cannot. IMail Server provides five options for mail relay:
Note: During installation, you can select from three options: No mail relay, Relay mail for anyone, and when upgrading: Do not change my existing local mail relay settings. After installation, you can change the relay setting in the SMTP Security tab in IMail Administrator.
- Relay Mail For Anyone
This option is the least secure; it allows your server to be used by anyone to send mail to anyone (not recommended).
- Relay For Local Hosts Only
This option checks to make sure the "From" address contains a valid IMail Server host name. This option is more secure than the previous one, but it is possible to forge the "From" address and circumvent this security.
- Relay For Local Users Only
This option checks to make sure the "From" header contains a valid IMail Server host name and that the user is a user on that host. As with the previous option, it is possible to circumvent this security option by forging the "From" header.
- No Mail Relay
The server will refuse to accept mail destined for other hosts (any host not on the IMail Server machine).
- Relay Mail For Addresses
If mail is received from the specified addresses, this option allows the server to accept mail destined for other hosts.
For more information on Mail Relay options and other security features, see Chapter 8 in the IMail Server User's Guide.
- SMTP Authentication
SMTP Authentication lets you verify each user who attempts to send mail through your mail server. SMTP Authentication is always enabled on the IMail Server. Users need to set their mail clients to do an SMTP login; for example, in Microsoft's Outlook, select the option My outgoing mail server requires authentication.
SMTP Authentication is used in the following cases:
- If you use the No Mail Relay option for SMTP relay.
- If you use the Relay for Addresses option. SMTP Authentication enables users who send from IP addresses that you do not list; for example, users who are travelling and do not have a static IP address.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
SSL provides user authentication and encryption for your Web Messaging and Web Calendaring communications.
For more information about SSL, see the help file for the IMail SSL Configuration Utility (available from Start->Programs-> IMail menu). The Introduction topic provides background information on SSL and how it works.
Step 7: One Mail Host or Multiple Hosts?
You can have multiple hosts on one IMail Server system, with each host handling the mail for a single domain. This feature lets you provide separate mail services for separate organizations.
Hosts can be added to the IMail Server after you have completed the installation of the primary host.
For information about setting up additional hosts and information about other advanced configuration options, see Chapter 3 in the IMail Server User's Guide.
 Ipswitch, Inc. http://www.ipswitch.com |
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