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Guide for installing POP and IMAP mail server on SUN Blade 1000 under Solaris 8

When 'POP' and 'IMAP' are installed on a computer that receives email, then that email is made available to other networked computers using any of the standard email programs, under any standard operating system. I use it to access email on my SUN Blade 1000, from PCs elsewhere on the local network or on Internet.

POP3 servers:

1. qpopper on my sparc/sol8 boxes to serve up pop3 mail. I get the source from metalab, or sunfreeware. My sol7 distribution did not come with a pop mailer.
2. ipop3d, found in /opt/SUNWipop
Sun first included a POP3 and IMAP server in the companion CD for the 02/02 release of Solaris 8. This can be downloaded from Sun's freeware.

Obtaining and installing the POP and IMAP program for IRIX 6.5
Checking the configuration files
Starting the daemons
Testing the POP and IMAP daemons
Controlling email 'spam'

Obtaining and installing the POP and IMAP program for IRIX 6.5

I recommend and use the University of Washington's secure POP and IMAP servers for IRIX 6.5 which are available as a 'freeware' 'tardist' file called 'imap-4.4' at http://freeware.sgi.com/index-by-alpha.html. Click on 'imap-4.4', to download and install the software automatically under IRIX 6.5*.

Alternatively, you can also use the Qualcomm QPOPPER software, which you have to compile and install.

Checking the configuration files

'/etc/services' should contain the following lines, which tell the computer which port to use for each service:

pop-2         109/tcp
pop-3        110/tcp
imap2       143/tcp

'/etc/inetd.conf' should contain the following lines to tell the computer how to start the services:

pop-2    stream     tcp    nowait    root     /usr/freeware/bin/ipop2d ipop2d
pop-3    stream    tcp    nowait     root    /usr/freeware/bin/ipop3d ipop3d
imap2    stream    tcp    nowait     root    /usr/freeware/bin/imapd imapd

(Note that the daemons may be installed elsewhere on your computer, but this does not matter).

Starting the daemons

To start the POP and IMAP services, type:

/etc/init.d/mail stop
/etc/init.d/mail start

Testing the POP and IMAP daemons

Use 'telnet' to interrogate the POP and IMAP servers on your computer, to ensure that they are running. Open a 'shell' and type the following three commands. After you have read the answer, type 'ctrl-]' then 'quit', to enable you to enter the next command.

telnet localhost 109

POP2 'host' v4.46 server ready

telnet localhost 110

POP3 'host' v6.50 server ready

telnet localhost 143

IMAP4rev1 'host' v11.241 server ready

At this point you know that the servers are up and running.

Controlling email 'spam'

It is important to prevent unauthorized users (third parties) from using your mail server as a route for their email, particularly email 'spam'. You can do this as follows, as 'root':

Make a backup of '/etc/sendmail.cf' and '/etc/sendmail.cR', if it is present.

Then edit '/etc/sendmail.cf'. Scroll to the section headed 'Anti-spam support' and after reading what it says, carefully uncomment all of the lines dealing with 'check_rcpt' and 'Parse0' which have '#' in front of them, but leave unchanged the lines that have '##' in front of them. You may notice an extra 'double quote' (") at the end of the last of these lines (R$* $=O $* < @ $=w > $#error $@ 5.1.1 $: "Invalid user name""). Remove the last 'double quote', as it is a typing error. Save '/etc/sendmail.cf'.

Then edit a new or existing file called '/etc/sendmail.cR'. Add to 'etc/sendmail.cR' a list of the domain names that you 'trust' not to send you 'spam' email. These are the domains of hosts that have their own anti-spam enabled. In my case the lines are simply:
sghms.ac.uk
hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
Save '/etc/sendmail.cR'.

Then type in a shell:

/etc/init.d/mail stop; /etc/init.d/mail start

to stop then restart the mail services.

Double click the 'sysmon' icon on the desktop to check the system log for any errors that might have occurred when you started the mail daemon. If there are any, check that you uncommented all of the lines that you were supposed to in '/etc/sendmail.cf' and try again.

You can check whether this prevents mail relay through your mail server by telnet to mail-abuse.org. Further information on this issue is available from CIAC.

If you have any corrections or additions to make to this little guide, please mail them to me, Christopher Spry at cspry@cspry.co.uk.

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