User:Paul/sandbox/Mail servers

WARNING: This article is in a user sandbox, indicating it is a rough draft, and as such, is likely incomplete, contains buggy and insecure configurations, and is subject to substantial and frequent changes.

Sending and receiving email is more complicated than most people realize. Email operates on very old standards and retains many essentially obsolete and anachronistic options to the point that, viewed as a whole, results in what is effectively a patched-up patchwork of patches, with configuration options that, when set (likely accidentally), should horrify admins. Novice and enthusiast admins typically have great difficulty figuring out what packages to install, and even after that it can seem nearly impossible to get everything operating in some coordinated manner.

It is often not even be necessary to create a fully functional mail server, as many admins are simply looking for a way to send things such as transactional email and newsletters.