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How to Install Exim Mail Server on Ubuntu 17.04
Exim is a popular mail transfer agent (MTA) originally designed for use at the University of Cambridge to replace the existing mail systems in place. Although based on an older MTA design, Exim has since grown and splintered off into a unique concept; Exim aims at being flexible and working with a variety of Unix-like systems.
Exim has become exceptionally popular due to the straightforward setup configuration as well as its’ ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Exim releases occur frequently and are listed on the Exim homepage, which encourages users to update to the newest version when possible.
Getting Started
Before you can get started installing your new Exim mail server on Ubuntu 17.04, you will need to confirm you have one node available, a Cloud Server or Dedicated Server; this server should have Ubuntu 17.04 installed.
You will also need to have Secure Shell (SSH) root access for your server after it’s running Ubuntu 17.04. If you are not familiar, SSH is a type of network protocol used when services are performed over an unsecured network. Using SSH, you can engage in these activities knowing they are being performed securely even over an unsecured connection.
Tutorial
Installing the Mail Server
Now that you’ve acquired your cloud server or dedicated server node, installed Ubuntu 17.04, and confirmed SSH root access to your node, we can begin setting up your Exim mail server.
Our first step is to confirm that your server is running the most recent software version and any repositories are up to date:
apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y
After confirming your server is running current software, we can proceed with installing the mail server from Exim:
apt-get install exim4 -y
Once the installation has completed, it’s time to start configuring the Exim server using the following commands:
dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config
During the configuration process, the following answers should be used when you are prompted:
1- General type of mail configuration: Internet site; mail is sent and received directly using SMTP
2- System mail name: (please enter your server DNS hostname name)
3- IP-addresses to lsiten on for incoming SMTP connections: 127.0.0.1 ; ::1 (validate with ENTER)
4- Other destinations for which mail is accepted: [EMPTY]
5- Domains to relay mail for: [EMPTY]
6- Machines to relay mail for: [EMPTY]
7- Keep number of DNS-queries minimal (Dial-on-Demand)?:
8- Delivery method for local mail: mbox format in /var/mail/
9- Split configuration into small files?:
When the configuration process completes, it’s time to check that Exim is running correctly and the installation was successful:
systemctl status exim4
After confirming that Exim was installed successfully, make sure to force the startup of the Exim service whenever your system boots:
systemctl enable exim4
Congratulations! You’ve installed your Exim mail server on Ubuntu 17.04, enjoy!
Conclusion
You’ve successfully gone through the process of installing your own Exim server on a dedicated node running Ubuntu 17.04. You can now move your Exim server into production and begin using your new mail server. If you were able to follow this guide and found it useful, please share it with other users that may be searching for a simple guide on setting up an Exim server.
