22.1 Synopsis

“Electronic Mail”, better known as email, is one of the most widely used forms of communication today. This chapter provides a basic introduction to running a mail server on FreeBSD, as well as an introduction to sending and receiving email using FreeBSD; however, it is not a complete reference and in fact many important considerations are omitted. For more complete coverage of the subject, the reader is referred to the many excellent books listed in Appendix B.

After reading this chapter, you will know:

• What software components are involved in sending and receiving electronic mail.

• Where basic sendmail configuration files are located in FreeBSD.

• The difference between remote and local mailboxes.

• How to block spammers from illegally using your mail server as a relay.

• How to install and configure an alternate Mail Transfer Agent on your system, replacing sendmail.

• How to troubleshoot common mail server problems.

• How to use SMTP with UUCP.

• How to set up the system to send mail only.

• How to use mail with a dialup connection.

• How to configure SMTP Authentication for added security.

• How to install and use a Mail User Agent, such as mutt to send and receive email.

• How to download your mail from a remote POP or IMAP server.

• How to automatically apply filters and rules to incoming email.

Before reading this chapter, you should:

• Properly set up your network connection (Chapter 25).

• Properly set up the DNS information for your mail host (Chapter 23).

• Know how to install additional third-party software (Chapter 4).