Mail Servers

Jennifer Lewis
 Mail Servers
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What Is a Mail Server and What Does It Do?

A mail server is a computer that moves and stores mail over networks and across the
Internet. In order for a computer to become a mail server, the computer must have “mail
server” software loaded on it. A mail server can send, receive or both send and receive
mail.

In order to send mail, the mail server software uses SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol. Here is how SMTP works:
• The mail client, which is the software used to compose the e-mail (like Outlook
Express), will send the mail to the mail server that is configured in the mail client
software package. The mail server’s address can be found under the SMTP server
configuration.
• The SMTP server will analyze the “To”, “CC”, and “BCC” addresses to determine
which server or servers the e-mail is supposed to go.
• Finally, the SMTP server will send the e-mail to the destination mail server or
servers.
Because of the latest trend of “spam” (unwanted e-mail), some SMTP servers are
becoming more sophisticated. Some SMTP servers are analyzing the “From” address to
make sure that the e-mail address is a legitimate address for that domain before sending
the e-mail.

In order to receive mail, the mail server software will use either POP3 - Post Office
Protocol 3, or IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol. Here is how POP3 works:
• The POP3 server will receive the e-mail from an SMTP server.
• The POP3 server will analyze the “To”, “CC”, and “BCC” addresses to determine
where it is supposed to go.
• The POP3 server will send the mail to the “inbox” for that address (if the e-mail
address is a legitimate address for that domain). If the address is not a legitimate
address for that domain, the POP3 server will send an error message back to the
SMTP server.
• When the user opens his/her mail client (like Outlook Express), the software package
will check the POP3 server for new mail. The mail server’s address can be found
under the POP3 server configuration.

IMAP is a newer protocol used for receiving e-mail, and a number of mail server
software packages are using this protocol rather than POP3 to receive mail.

A newer function of some mail server packages is Mail Filtering. These are mail servers
that act as “spam detectors”. A “spam detector” analyzes the incoming mail and
determines whether the mail is “spam” (junk e-mail) or not. The factors to determine
whether the mail is “spam” can vary based on the package. Some common factors used
are: keywords, the domain from which the mail originated, and letter combinations.

Server Requirements
A computer running as a mail server should have a lot of disk space to store the
messages. If the computer will be running GUI-intensive mail server software, like a

Jennifer Lewis
MMT 736
 Mail Servers
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number of the commercial products, the computer should also have a high processor and
high memory. For example, according to the system requirements list for Microsoft
Exchange Server
(http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sysreqs/2003.mspx), it requires the
machine to have a 733mHz processor, 512MB RAM, and at least 1G disk space.

List of Mail Servers

Below is a comparison of two popular commercial mail server products: Microsoft and
Domino. A comprehensive list of mail servers can be found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mail_servers.

Product Manufacturer Pros Cons

Exchange Server Microsoft • Common • EXPENSIVE
package for the • Limited to the
Windows Windows
environment environment
• Easy to use
• Microsoft
support
Domino IBM • Runs on most • EXPENSIVE
platforms • May have issues
(Linux, with proprietary
Microsoft, Unix) software and
• Uses IMAP and web sites
instead of POP3 that sends and
for receiving e- receives e-mail
mails
• Easy to use
• IBM support

What if Cost is an Issue?

Cost can be an issue for a home user or a small business. If cost is an issue, there are
open-source solutions that cost little to no money. The Apache server line
(http://www.apache.org) contains mail servers that cost no money, and they run on most
common platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix). The Apache mail server is included with
Red Hat Fedora. The downside of these “cheap solutions” is that they are not as easy to
configure as their commercial counterparts, and they may not have as many additional
features (like “spam filtering”) as their commercial counterparts.

Jennifer Lewis
MMT 736
 Mail Servers
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Which Way Should You Go?

The following factors should be taken into consideration before choosing a mail server:
• Cost – How much can the organization spend?
• In-house Technical Expertise – Can the administrators read and configure text
files, or do they “point-click-and-shoot”?
• What Platform is Running – Is the organization running Windows, Linux, AIX,
Solaris, or other?
• Traffic – Is there a lot of e-mail activity? Does the organization require spam
filtering?

If cost is not an issue, the technical expertise is at a basic level (the “point-click-and-
shoot” types), and the organization is running the Windows operating system, Microsoft
Exchange Server is the best bet. If the organization is running another platform, and cost
is still not an issue and the technical expertise is at a basic level, IBM Lotus Domino is
the best bet. If the technical expertise is more advanced, and there are no additional
features required for the e-mail activity (just send and receive), keep the costs low and
choose an open-source solution.

Jennifer Lewis
MMT 736