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Adding a Host Based on an External Database

IMail Server can use an external database to register and authenticate users on a particular mail host. Users that you subsequently add to, and delete from, that host using IMail Server will also be added and deleted from the external database, and vice versa.

Before you use an external database for a mail host, use the Windows Control Panel to make sure there is a System DSN (Data Source Name) that points to a valid database name. See your Windows NT/2000 and database documentation for information on the System DSN.

Once you have verified the System DSN that points to the database you want to use, the next step depends on whether you are creating a new host or converting an existing host to an external database.

Configuring the Primary Host

If you have just installed IMail Server for the first time as described in "Chapter 2: Installation", and you have based the primary host on an external database, you are now ready to configure the host.

  1. Start IMail Administrator and select "localhost" in the left panel.
  2. Click the Add Host button.
  3. Select the primary host in the list.
  4. Click the Configure button. Proceed to "Configuring the External Database Interface".

Creating a Host Based on an External Database

To create a virtual host based on an external database:

  1. Start IMail Administrator and select "localhost" in the left panel.
  2. The General tab appears. Click the Add Host button. You see the "Virtual Host Configuration" dialog box.
  3. Click Add. A virtual host name (i.e. $virtual001) appears in the Local Addresses list.
  4. Select Use External User Database.
  5. Click the Save.

Note: It is essential to click Save before clicking Configure.

  1. Click Configure. The External User Database dialog appears.

Configuring the External Database Interface

The interface between IMail Server and the external database is accomplished via a dynamic link library (DLL file); IMail Server comes with a sample .dll that can be used for this purpose: ODBCUSER.DLL. This DLL uses the ODBC method, but can be modified to support any external database method. (The complete source code for this DLL is provided upon request from Ipswitch.)

Note: When you use an external database, any IMail service you run (except the System Logger Service) must be set up (using the Control Panel Services application) so that the account that IMail Server runs under has access to the external database.

To configure the external database interface:

  1. Specify the full path to ODBCUSER.DLL, or to any DLL that supports the functions: GetUserEntry, SetUserEntry, DeleteUserEntry, AuthorizeUser, GetFirstUserEntry, and GetNextUserEntry. (These are defined in the odbcuser.h file.)
  2. Specify the ODBC System DSN for the database where the user information is stored. IMAILSECDB is the default name that the IMail ODBC link uses.

Note: For users using SQL 7.0 or above: In the ODBC Data Source Name input the line: IMAILSECDB; UID=username; PWD=password. The user name and password need to be the user ID and password for the SQL database and not an IMail Server account.

  1. Specify a Table name for the data. If the field is blank or contains [default], the host name is used with dots replaced by underscores.
  2. Click OK.

You can use up to ten different DLLs from one IMail Server system. An unlimited number of tables can be accessed by a DLL. Each DLL can be named anything you wish and the name of the DLL must be specified to IMail Server as described in Step 2 above.


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