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'''available since''': still under construction! '''available since''': STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
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!FreedomBox Email Server solution provides both spam and antivirus filtering features. !FreedomBox Email Server can be currently used via IMAP clients and provides both spam and antivirus filtering features.
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=== Installing the Email Server === Unlike other apps in FreedomBox this custom application integrates many Debian packages and quite a lot of glue code to make them all work together for a complete, secure, maintainable solution.

=== Installing ===
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Additional configurations in your !FreedomBox and in your domain name registry are needed to meet current security standards. For the moment use this server '''only for internal emails''' (among !FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause '''your IP to be blacklisted''' due to unmet security measures. Additional configurations in your !FreedomBox and in your domain name registry are needed to meet current security standards. For the moment USE THIS SERVER '''ONLY FOR INTERNAL EMAILS''' (among !FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause '''your IP to be blacklisted''' due to unmet security measures.
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=== Using the Email server === === Using the Email Server (Configuring the clients) ===
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This app is still under construction. Use it '''only for internal emails''' (among !FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause '''your IP to be blacklisted''' due to unmet security measures. This app is still under construction. USE THIS SERVER '''ONLY FOR INTERNAL EMAILS''' (among !FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause '''your IP to be blacklisted''' due to unmet security measures.

Email Server

available since: STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

About the Email Server

You only achieve full privacy if you trust the whole communication chain end-to-end. With this Email Server you can:

  • Offer your friends an e-mail account in your FreedomBox so they can communicate with each other within a controlled (by you) environment.

    • This scenario isn't perfect but provides good privacy. Yet they still need to trust each other and you.
    • Accessing FreedomBox webclient though Tor or a virtual private network, etc improves it.

    • End-to-end encryption in capable local clients connecting to your FreedomBox might fix their need to trust you.

  • Connect to other trusted FreedomBoxes and their users.

    • In this case you still need to trust the network interconnecting both FreedomBoxes. Some improvements are planned but still pending.

FreedomBox Email Server can be currently used via IMAP clients and provides both spam and antivirus filtering features.

Unlike other apps in FreedomBox this custom application integrates many Debian packages and quite a lot of glue code to make them all work together for a complete, secure, maintainable solution.

Installing

First of all you need to go to the Apps menu.

If already installed, the Email Server will be shown above the Disabled line. This is likely not your case, but if it is, that means that the Email Server is already installed, so this chapter isn't for you and you ought to jump to the next one.

  • Email Server enabled

If the Email Server is shown among the icons below the Disabled line, it is either not yet installed or it is currently disabled. This is the usual starting status.

  • Email Server disabled

Select the Email Server app. You are presented with the Email Server app page. If not installed yet you'll be shown the Install button. Click on it!

  • Due to a known bug you might get this error

This is due to other email server present (usually exim4)

  • Despite the message suggesting held packages, another usual cause is that there's already another email server installed in the system, usually exim4 in Debian systems.

    Usually it is there by default but you don't need it so you can just uninstall it. This can be done accessing your FreedomBox via SSH and running  sudo apt remove exim4-config exim4-daemon-light 

  • Then you can try again

    Email Server app page

This will trigger the installation process.

  • Installation installing sw packages Installation running post-processes

After installing all needed software packages, configuring them, etc FreedomBox will tell you that the installation is successful and the app page will show additional content like the port information and several feature configuration forms organized by means of tabs.

  • Email Server page as just installed

Next time you go to the Apps Menu it will show the Email Server enabled (above the disabled line).

Configuring the Email Server

The minimal configuration needed is at the Domains tab.

  • Domains tab at Email Server app page

Additional configurations in your FreedomBox and in your domain name registry are needed to meet current security standards. For the moment USE THIS SERVER ONLY FOR INTERNAL EMAILS (among FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause your IP to be blacklisted due to unmet security measures.

Using the Email Server (Configuring the clients)

Warning:

This app is still under construction. USE THIS SERVER ONLY FOR INTERNAL EMAILS (among FreedomBox users within the same machine) or in controlled testing environments. Attempts of sending e-mail to regular services will likely cause your IP to be blacklisted due to unmet security measures.

With FreedomBox Webmail Client (RoundCube)

RoundCube email client is provided by FreedomBox so once both are installed, you can host a complete webmail setup for you and your friends.

The following ought to be solved out of the box fairly soon, but currently we still need to tweek a text-file (/etc/roundcube/config.inc.php) to make it work with FreedomBox as email server. The file is restricted so you need to access it as admin user. Fix these settings:

$config['default_host'] = 'ssl://freedombox';
$config['smtp_server'] = 'ssl://freedombox';
$config['smtp_port'] = 465;

Notes:

  • You can edit the file with nano text editor: sudo nano /etc/roundcube/config.inc.php.

  • ssl:// is required;

  • Replace freedombox with the server's domain name, if you have set another one. It must match your TLS certificate.

Troubleshooting

How to debug an action script failure? How to access the system log?

Open a secure shell connection to your FreedomBox. Type sudo journalctl -b -o short-monotonic --no-pager

  • -b show journal entries since boot

  • -o short-monotonic use short timestamp format

  • --no-pager make it easier to copy and paste

Why does the server say "relay access denied"?

This is because Postfix was not aware of the email domain. To add an email domain,

  • Log into the Plinth web interface as an admin
  • Go to Email Server > Domains

  • Edit $mydestination (make sure your email domain is listed in the variable)

  • Click Update

Technical info and feedback discussion

There are drafts for a video and its slides for a technical presentation at Debconf21.

This salsa issue is driving the implementation. Feel free to join discussions and provide technical ideas.

Providing user feedback

Please provide your feedback on usage on this forum thread.

Back to Features introduction or manual pages.


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