A new user doesn't *necessarily* need to know how to configure any of
the following if they haven't got a working server to begin with:
av_scanner
mime decoding and content checking
>>> I would say that one or other of these are virtually required on
the >>> modern internet.
I am not excluding them, but what use is an exim server configured for
AV scanning that won't start becuase the user can't comprehend
everything at once.
Did your first ever attempt at building a mail server incorpoorate virus
scanning and mime decoding or did you have to learn in small steps?
>>> In postfix, you generally have to work out what special case Wietse
>>> was thinking of for your situation, qmail is just fuelled on so
much >>> crack, only one person in the world still uses smail, and,
well, I'd >>> trust Exchange as far as I could lob the box it runs on
off a high >>> cliff...
If only somebody had written a beginners guide...
Think back, what if you were looking for help and somebody on the qmail
list or postfix list told you that...
>>> if you're not prepared to deal with this, it could be possible that
>>> you're not suited to being a mail admin.
The example I showed is safe for a newbie to install:
- it uses "example.com" which has no MX records
- it does not allow domain literals
- it runs on a non-routable network address 10.0.0.0
If I install this configuration on a machine under my kitchen table how
is this a risk to the internet and other users (assuming you don't live
in the same house or break-in).
My interst is not in showing new users how to write an open relay, most
of the articles I've written have been about securing servers. Giving
guidance actually helps users who don't know what they are doing.
Please have a look at a previous guide I wrote for the Exim Conference
in February, it will give you an idea of what I think we should have for
new users.
http://www.uit.co.uk/exim-conference/full-papers/jason-meers.pdf
Thanks
Jason
