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Hi so I have a dell poweredge r730 and I want to setup an email for this using my domain hosted on namecheap. So what are the platforms I can use to setup an email for my domain using my own server?

thanks

also I’m new to this…

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I’ll first caution you that running your own Internet-facing mail server is a potential security hazard in this day and age. You’ll need a firm grasp of firewall control (whether an external appliance or in-box) and security baselines, regardless of which platform you use.

There is, of course, Microsoft Exchange 2019. Configuration isn’t necessarily easy despite having graphical controls (Exchange Administrative Center), and you’ll need a suite of licenses including Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, and appropriate client access licenses for the number of “real person” mailboxes you’ll be configuring. I’m guessing the licensing costs will be off-putting. And that doesn’t include any sort of email filtering!

For a “free” solution, you’ll probably want to consider some flavor of Linux. There are a number of open-source mailbox servers, mail transfer agents (aka SMTP servers), filtering agents (antivirus, spam, phishing, etc.), IMAP servers, webmail servers, and so forth. (POP3 just needs to go away.)

I would probably start with a recent version of Debian. On top of that, I’d install Postfix, which will serve as the mail transfer agent and mail delivery agent. Dovecot IMAP server. ClamAV antivirus. Spamassassin for email filtering. RoundCube for a webmail interface.

Are these the best or easiest to configure? Not by a long shot. But they are the among the best known, most well-documented open-source systems out there, so you’ll find the most help from the community. They’re a great way to learn the fundamentals of managing an email system, because they are very transparent in what they do. (You’ll become frienemies with the log files.)

For goodness’ sake, make sure you don’t accidentally set up an open relay!

You’ll probably also want to add some intrusion detection. (Snort? Autoban?) This has nothing to do with email; it has everything to do with the malicious actors that will find your open ports and attack them trying to find a way to take over your system.

Lastly, bone up on SPF, DMARC, and DKIM, and get it set up correctly. These services will help prevent attackers from spoofing your address and help ensure that mail YOU send is not rejected. (Hint: use -all in your SPF record if at all possible.)

My company used to maintain dozens of on-premises email servers for our customers, both Linux- and Exchange-based. The most complex was an email domain that was split between an Exchange and a Linux+Postfix server, with a Hylafax server and archiving server thrown in for good measure. Now, I believe we have one Exchange server and one Linux mail server left under our purview – the Linux server is our own, serving a couple of dozen domains. Nearly all of our customers have migrated to Microsoft 365. It’s been a long time since I last set up a new mail server.

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I would suggest MS office 365 or another paid service. the $5-10 a month for a paid account using your domain would be a much better choice over trying to run your own email server.