o1bigtenor via Dng said on Sat, 27 Nov 2021 09:17:45 -0600

>Greetings
>
>Started way back when when I got to the web full-time using webmail.
>Haven't ever setup an email system and AIUI it is a system - - - there
>are a lot of parts that have to work together to have everything
>working well.
>
>A mentor, now deceased, recommended using Claws but even that's not all
>that's needed for an email system. So - - - I'm looking for
>recommendations on what and how to setup an email system. The why
>you're using what you are is vitally important for me (as are my
>security and privacy).

If you mean an SMTP server, I don't know.

If you mean a setup to receive and send email, carefully read the
following URL:

http://troubleshooters.com/lpm/201202/201202.htm

Especially important is the block diagram labeled
"Desktop Email Architecture: Procmail Handles Filters,
Dovecot Handles Folders"

Research the workings of all those blocks on the diagram. Setting up a
system like this is not easy, but it makes your future life easy:

* Dovecot frees your email client from storing messages.

* Which means you can change email clients at will.

* Dovecot can handle hundreds of thousands, probably millions of msgs.

* Procmail filtering frees your email client from filtering.

* Which means you can change email clients at will.

* Fetchmail is an ancient program that "just works every time."
    - If you want a more modern one, maybe getmail.
    - Fetchmail's always worked for me.

* Backing up your Dovecot IMAP server is just a simple dir tree backup.

* To get expert help, Dovecot and Claws-Mail have mailing lists.
Procmail and Fetchmail have man pages and documentation all over the
web.

* I've been using this setup for well over six years, and it's never
screwed up on me, except once after a major Dovecot upgrade, and that
was solved quickly using advice from the Dovecot mailing list.

SteveT

Steve Litt
Spring 2021 featured book: Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful
Technologist http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques