mail server

[agar]

Whats a really simple mail server type program? I use the sendmail binary to send my email but no way to recieve. This mail server would only be for me.

[Killer_Penguin]

Well, what exactly are you prepared to do?

In order to "recieve" mail like that, you have to have a domain name. YOu have to have an MX pointer in DNS that points that domain name to YOUR box. You have to have a static IP address on your box to be able to have the MX pointer to it.

THEN you have to configure your mail server software to recieve mail for above domain, then setup some way for your client to recieve that mail

Is this what you want to do? If so, we can help....

[scanez]

Or instead of a domain name, you use the hostname given to you by your ISP or whatever. If you have sendmail installed, you should be able to recieve mail already...

[Killer_Penguin]

Or instead of a domain name, you use the hostname given to you by your ISP or whatever. If you have sendmail installed, you should be able to recieve mail already...

Incorrect. This will ONLY work if you have a static IP address. OR a static reverse lookup address. Even then, it's not how email is supposed to work, and there can/will be all kinds of issues becuase of this.

-edit-

I just tested this, by trying to send something at my reverse dns name. Created a viscious loop that almost crashed my mail server... not fun.

[agar]

i have a static ip. I have one of those dynamic hostname things that points directly to my ip. Is it possible to send mail with that dynamic hostname?

[Feztaa]

Yup, I've done it.

[Killer_Penguin]

i have a static ip. I have one of those dynamic hostname things that points directly to my ip. Is it possible to send mail with that dynamic hostname?

It's possible, but again, without a valid MX record, don't expect it to work all the time.

[agar]

What exactly is this MX record? anyways I might as well try it and if I don't like it I can always go back to webmail or something. Whats a good mail server package?

[Killer_Penguin]

MX == mail exchange.

When an email client sends something to foo@bar.com, the SMTP server for that client will lookup the MX record for bar.com. The MX record tells that mail server which address all mail destined for *@bar.com goes to. Resolves to an IP address. Then that sending server just sends the message to that address, and lets the recieving server sort it out. without a MX record, this usually doesn't work very well.

Personally, I use Courier-MTA system. It might be alittle much for a one client operation. www.courier-mta.org

[agar]

so does email not work in the same way that a webserver works. In that way that you can access it with the ip of the server or the domain name. What I'm asking is with email does it work if you do foo@1.2.3.4? or does it not because of this mx your talking about?