I've recently installed Postfix and dovecot on my linux machine running Zorin OS 16.3(Ubuntu Based Linux Distro) to be able to host my own email server for my website.
The server is port forwarded using the internet providers fiberlink service. So any forwarded ports can be accesed by the provided subdomain. The domain is firecat.go.ro. The mail server I will forward to codrutsoft.com, but after I make sure It actually works.
I have forwarded the following ports:
- IMAP: 143, 993
- POP3: 110, 995
- SMTP: 25, 465
The port forwarding works. All ports are accessible.
The issue is that both IMAP and SMTP do not seem to function properly. I assume It's a configuration issue.
Here is the issue in detail:
In outlook, when I try to connect to the mail server using POP3 and SMTPS
With POP3, the incoming mail server connects successfully, but outgoing (SMTPS) does not. Here are the settings:
- Email: [email protected]
- Incoming server: firecat.go.ro
- Incoming port:
995
- Outgoing server: firecat.go.ro
- Outgoing port:
25
- Outgoing encryption method:
None.
The error message is We couldn't connect to the outgoing (SMTP) server. None of the authentication methods supported by Outlook are supported by your server.
I also tried port 465, but the same error message still appears.
I did disable smtpd_sasl_auth_enable, as I got some SSL errors in the log, which I am unaware how t ofix.
To configure the server I followed this guide, the only step I was unable to do was to obtain a signing certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
I want to note that I have never configured a mail server before, I only worked with Apache2 and a few other easier to configure servers.
Here are my configuration files
main.cf file
# See /usr/share/postfix/main.cf.dist for a commented, more complete version
# Debian specific: Specifying a file name will cause the first
# line of that file to be used as the name. The Debian default
# is /etc/mailname.
#myorigin = /etc/mailname
smtpd_banner = $myhostname ESMTP $mail_name (Ubuntu)
biff = no
# appending .domain is the MUA's job.
append_dot_mydomain = no
# Uncomment the next line to generate "delayed mail" warnings
#delay_warning_time = 4h
readme_directory = no
# See http://www.postfix.org/COMPATIBILITY_README.html -- default to 2 on
# fresh installs.
compatibility_level = 2
# TLS parameters
smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/server.crt
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/private/server.key
smtpd_tls_security_level = may
smtp_tls_CApath=/etc/ssl/certs
smtp_tls_security_level = may
smtp_tls_session_cache_database = btree:${data_directory}/smtp_scache
smtpd_relay_restrictions = permit_mynetworks permit_sasl_authenticated defer_unauth_destination
myhostname = firecat.go.ro
alias_maps = hash:/etc/aliases
alias_database = hash:/etc/aliases
myorigin = /etc/mailname
mydestination = firecat.go.ro, firecat.go.ro, codrutsoft.com, Linux-Server, localhost.localdomain, localhost
relayhost =
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8 [::ffff:127.0.0.0]/104 [::1]/128
mailbox_size_limit = 0
recipient_delimiter = +
inet_interfaces = all
inet_protocols = all
home_mailbox = Maildir/
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
# smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth
smtpd_sasl_local_domain =
smtpd_sasl_security_options = noanonymous,noplaintext
smtpd_sasl_tls_security_options = noanonymous
broken_sasl_auth_clients = yes
smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = no
smtpd_recipient_restrictions = \permit_sasl_authenticated,permit_mynetworks,reject_unauth_destination
smtp_tls_note_starttls_offer = yes
smtpd_tls_loglevel = 1
smtpd_tls_received_header = yes
master.cf file
#
# Postfix master process configuration file. For details on the format
# of the file, see the master(5) manual page (command: "man 5 master" or
# on-line: http://www.postfix.org/master.5.html).
#
# Do not forget to execute "postfix reload" after editing this file.
#
# ==========================================================================
# service type private unpriv chroot wakeup maxproc command + args
# (yes) (yes) (no) (never) (100)
# ==========================================================================
smtp inet n - y - - smtpd
#smtp inet n - y - 1 postscreen
#smtpd pass - - y - - smtpd
#dnsblog unix - - y - 0 dnsblog
#tlsproxy unix - - y - 0 tlsproxy
#submission inet n - y - - smtpd
# -o syslog_name=postfix/submission
# -o smtpd_tls_security_level=encrypt
# -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
# -o smtpd_tls_auth_only=yes
# -o smtpd_reject_unlisted_recipient=no
# -o smtpd_client_restrictions=$mua_client_restrictions
# -o smtpd_helo_restrictions=$mua_helo_restrictions
# -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=$mua_sender_restrictions
# -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_relay_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
# -o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
smtps inet n - y - - smtpd
-o syslog_name=postfix/smtps
-o smtpd_tls_wrappermode=yes
# -o smtpd_sasl_auth_enable=yes
# -o smtpd_reject_unlisted_recipient=no
# -o smtpd_client_restrictions=$mua_client_restrictions
# -o smtpd_helo_restrictions=$mua_helo_restrictions
# -o smtpd_sender_restrictions=$mua_sender_restrictions
# -o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=
# -o smtpd_relay_restrictions=permit_sasl_authenticated,reject
# -o milter_macro_daemon_name=ORIGINATING
#628 inet n - y - - qmqpd
pickup unix n - y 60 1 pickup
cleanup unix n - y - 0 cleanup
qmgr unix n - n 300 1 qmgr
#qmgr unix n - n 300 1 oqmgr
tlsmgr unix - - y 1000? 1 tlsmgr
rewrite unix - - y - - trivial-rewrite
bounce unix - - y - 0 bounce
defer unix - - y - 0 bounce
trace unix - - y - 0 bounce
verify unix - - y - 1 verify
flush unix n - y 1000? 0 flush
proxymap unix - - n - - proxymap
proxywrite unix - - n - 1 proxymap
smtp unix - - y - - smtp
relay unix - - y - - smtp
-o syslog_name=postfix/$service_name
# -o smtp_helo_timeout=5 -o smtp_connect_timeout=5
showq unix n - y - - showq
error unix - - y - - error
retry unix - - y - - error
discard unix - - y - - discard
local unix - n n - - local
virtual unix - n n - - virtual
lmtp unix - - y - - lmtp
anvil unix - - y - 1 anvil
scache unix - - y - 1 scache
postlog unix-dgram n - n - 1 postlogd
#
# ====================================================================
# Interfaces to non-Postfix software. Be sure to examine the manual
# pages of the non-Postfix software to find out what options it wants.
#
# Many of the following services use the Postfix pipe(8) delivery
# agent. See the pipe(8) man page for information about ${recipient}
# and other message envelope options.
# ====================================================================
#
# maildrop. See the Postfix MAILDROP_README file for details.
# Also specify in main.cf: maildrop_destination_recipient_limit=1
#
maildrop unix - n n - - pipe
flags=DRhu user=vmail argv=/usr/bin/maildrop -d ${recipient}
#
# ====================================================================
#
# Recent Cyrus versions can use the existing "lmtp" master.cf entry.
#
# Specify in cyrus.conf:
# lmtp cmd="lmtpd -a" listen="localhost:lmtp" proto=tcp4
#
# Specify in main.cf one or more of the following:
# mailbox_transport = lmtp:inet:localhost
# virtual_transport = lmtp:inet:localhost
#
# ====================================================================
#
# Cyrus 2.1.5 (Amos Gouaux)
# Also specify in main.cf: cyrus_destination_recipient_limit=1
#
#cyrus unix - n n - - pipe
# user=cyrus argv=/cyrus/bin/deliver -e -r ${sender} -m ${extension} ${user}
#
# ====================================================================
# Old example of delivery via Cyrus.
#
#old-cyrus unix - n n - - pipe
# flags=R user=cyrus argv=/cyrus/bin/deliver -e -m ${extension} ${user}
#
# ====================================================================
#
# See the Postfix UUCP_README file for configuration details.
#
uucp unix - n n - - pipe
flags=Fqhu user=uucp argv=uux -r -n -z -a$sender - $nexthop!rmail ($recipient)
#
# Other external delivery methods.
#
ifmail unix - n n - - pipe
flags=F user=ftn argv=/usr/lib/ifmail/ifmail -r $nexthop ($recipient)
bsmtp unix - n n - - pipe
flags=Fq. user=bsmtp argv=/usr/lib/bsmtp/bsmtp -t$nexthop -f$sender $recipient
scalemail-backend unix - n n - 2 pipe
flags=R user=scalemail argv=/usr/lib/scalemail/bin/scalemail-store ${nexthop} ${user} ${extension}
mailman unix - n n - - pipe
flags=FR user=list argv=/usr/lib/mailman/bin/postfix-to-mailman.py
${nexthop} ${user}
The logs when attempting to log in
Aug 15 23:19:26 Linux-Server dovecot: pop3-login: Disconnected (auth failed, 1 attempts in 4 secs): user=<[email protected]>, method=PLAIN, rip=MY-IP, lip=192.168.1.104, TLS: Connection closed, session=<qrMC5fsC5MVWe/Vt>
Aug 15 23:19:33 Linux-Server dovecot: pop3-login: Login: user=<codrut>, method=PLAIN, rip=MY-IP, lip=192.168.1.104, mpid=11659, TLS, session=<+A9r5fsC58VWe/Vt>
Aug 15 23:19:33 Linux-Server dovecot: pop3(codrut)<11659><+A9r5fsC58VWe/Vt>: Disconnected: Logged out top=0/0, retr=0/0, del=0/0, size=0
Aug 15 23:19:33 Linux-Server postfix/smtpd[11660]: connect from unknown[MY-IP]
Aug 15 23:19:33 Linux-Server postfix/smtpd[11660]: lost connection after EHLO from unknown[MY-IP]
Aug 15 23:19:33 Linux-Server postfix/smtpd[11660]: disconnect from unknown[MY-IP] ehlo=1 commands=1
So, what exactly are the steps to fix this issue?
