Need help setting up an IMAP Server on a local network

[albi at scii.nl]

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 10:58:57 -0400
"Bill Schmitt (SW)" <software at schmittnet.com> wrote:

> I would like to set up an IMAP server on a FreeBSD box for my home 
> network. I don't have a lot of depth in this area, so could really use
>  some help or pointers to "how to" pages. Searching the web and
>  reading 
> the documentation has left a couple of gaps that I would appreciate 
> someone filling in. Most of what I've found seems to concentrate on 
> running internet connected servers with "real" domain names on them,
> and  this would sit in the local network with a separate
> router/firewall  connecting the local network to a cable connection.
> The FreeBSD box is  not normally visible to the outside world.

i'm using dovecot (imap-ssl, pop3-ssl) and postfix on a local machine, 

dovecot is in the ports-collection, it aims to be fast and secure, has
an active development, is flexible (support both Maildir and mbox-style
mailboxes)

i've set it up using the main website http://www.dovecot.org/ and by
looking at the config-file (sample)

postfix is really easy to set up, esp. if you can use your ISP's
mailserver as relayhost

# ----- example /usr/local/etc/postfix/main.cf for a local machine
# ----- using the mailserver from the ISP as relay host

# the name of your machine

myhostname = my_machine_s_name

# the domain you use, so you can get errors mailed back to you

myorigin = my_real_domain_name
mydestination = localhost
relayhost = smtp.yourISP.net
mynetworks = 127.0.0.0/8

# ------ end example --------

look at your /etc/aliases (PATH of it depending on what postfix main.cf
already has) 
run : newaliases
restart postfix after you've filled this in

HTH