Installing Exim and Dovecot

Install and configure mail servers to enable ispmanager users to send and receive emails.

Differences between Exim and Dovecot

ispmanager works with the Exim and Dovecot mail servers, which play different roles:

	Exim	Dovecot
Role	Email transfer. Handles mail movement between servers	Storage and delivery. Manages user access to emails
Protocols	SMTP — sends and receives external emails. SMTP authentication is configured via the Dovecot socket	POP3/IMAP — delivers messages to mailboxes and tracks user disk quotas
Major task	Routing: determines where to send an email and whether to accept an incoming one	Access facilitation: enables quick retrieval of emails from "Inbox," "Spam," etc
Filtration	Checks emails "on-the-fly" (IP blocking, sender verification)	Sorts emails into folders after receipt (if Sieve is installed)
Interaction	Accepts emails from the Internet and passes them to Dovecot for storage	Accepts emails from Exim and moves them to the user's mailbox

System requirements for installing Exim and Dovecot

Server

At least 100 MB of free disk space for Exim and Dovecot.
Optional: at least 250 MB of free disk space for additional components (Greylisting, Roundcube, ClamAV, etc.)

Installing mail servers

To ensure proper email functionality, install both mail servers: Exim and Dovecot.

Log in to ispmanager with superuser rights.
Go to the Software configuration section.
Go to the Mail server (SMTP/POP3/IMAP) settings.
Select Exim as the SMTP server.
Check the box for Dovecot (POP3/IMAP).
Select additional components if needed:
- Greylisting — an email filter with spam protection
- OpenDKIM — a package for generating DKIM keys to protect mailboxes against phishing
- SpamAssassin — an email filter for spam protection
- ClamAV — antivirus software for scanning email
- Sieve — an email sorter; allows you to create rules applied to incoming emails
- Roundcube — a web interface for accessing mailboxes
Click Save.
Wait for the installation to complete.

To proceed with email setup, create a mail domain and a mailbox.

Use SSL certificates for mail to send and receive messages via a secure SMTP connection.

Removing mail servers

If necessary, back up emails and mailboxes to preserve your data.

Log in to ispmanager with superuser rights.
Delete all mailboxes.
How to delete mailboxes
1. Go to the Mail section.
2. Select all the mailboxes.
3. Click on the toolbar.
4. Confirm the deletion.
5. Wait for the deletion to complete.
Delete all mail domains.
How to delete mail domains
1. Go to the Mail section.
2. On the toolbar, click Mail domains.
3. Select all the mailboxes.
4. Click on the toolbar.
5. Confirm the deletion.
6. Wait for the removal process to complete.
Remove Exim, Dovecot, and all additional mail-related components.
How to remove Exim, Dovecot, and all additional components
1. Go to the Software configuration section.
2. Go to the Mail server (SMTP/POP3/IMAP) settings.
3. Uncheck the boxes for all additional components and Dovecot.
4. For Exim, select "do not use."
5. Click Save.
6. Wait for the removal process to complete.

Technical details

Installation packages

When mail servers are installed, their packages are installed as well:

ispmanager-pkg-exim — Exim
ispmanager-pkg-dovecot — Dovecot

When additional components are installed, their packages are also installed:

ispmanager-pkg-greylisting-exim — Greylisting
ispmanager-pkg-opendkim-exim — OpenDKIM
ispmanager-pkg-spamassassin-exim — SpamAssassin
ispmanager-pkg-clamav-exim — ClamAV
ispmanager-pkg-sieve — Sieve
ispmanager-pkg-roundcube — Roundcube

Conversely, when mail servers and additional components are removed, their packages are also removed.

Configuration files

Mail server configuration files contain parameters for sending and receiving mail, configured based on mail domain data. The domains and mailboxes are virtual and do not require actual user accounts.

When Exim is installed, a configuration template from /usr/local/mgr5/etc/templates/exim.config is copied to its directory and configured.

	Exim	Dovecot
RHEL-based operating systems	`/etc/exim/exim.conf`	`/etc/dovecot/conf.d/`
Debian-based operating systems	`/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template`	`/etc/dovecot/conf.d/`

Logging

	Exim	Dovecot
RHEL-based operating systems	`/var/log/exim/`	`/var/log/maillog`
Debian-based operating systems	`/var/log/exim4/`	`/var/log/mail.log`

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