pop/imap access to postfix and add user accounts

March 14, 2013 12.4k views
marcus.hann6
By:
marcus.hann6
Hi, I have been trying to setup a mail server for some time and have had no luck, so far I have installed postfix using the DO tutorial and when I log in to the terminal I get the message: "You have new mail". I am not sure how to access that mail and I would also like to setup ms outlook to access my mail but that requires me to setup pop/imap access which I have no idea what to do. If possible please could you give me step-by-step steps but that is only if possible. Thanks, Marcus
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5 Answers
lukedude100 March 15, 2013
Type "mail" to see your mail in the console. Then you can simply type the number next to the subject to view that email.

I am also having trouble getting email on Outlook. The first step is to install Dovecot, but I am confused on where to go after that.
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jstapels March 15, 2013
Be careful not to confuse setting up a mailbox and mail server on your linux host with configuring IMAP and POP access. Postfix is an MX server which will handle sending mail out and receiving mail and putting it into a maildir (mailbox) for you.

However, once that is setup, you'll want to setup an IMAP and/or a POP server in order to access that mail from Outlook. Look for a guide on how to install Dovecot and that should get you going.

If you're trying to setup a web host, I recommend looking into Virtualmin GPL. It's a free control panel extension (for Webmin) and is extremely easy to setup. Once setup there is a bit of a learning curve, but unlike many of the other free alternatives, "it just works".
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d4171561d8ad68770b35687ce1033def March 19, 2013
This is what I used, up to the Horde part : http://www.exratione.com/2012/05/a-mailserver-on-ubuntu-1204-postfix-dovecot-mysql/

Works great, I can add users in PostfixAdmin and I check/retrieve all my email in Gmail (which means you can do the same, in Outlook).
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cyndi June 4, 2013
What would be cool is if there was a preconfigure mail server image with instructions on how to setup the MX records.

Or have a place to share images.
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tredcloud August 17, 2013
I am working on it.
I am building a simplified postfix setup. It will include Dovecot without mysql, and one with it. That way should anyone want to chose a different account management, they are not stuck with mysql... which sucks balls.
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