With the advent of email to our internet experience, sending and receiving messages and files has been easier, but the problem is that we have become so accustomed to it that we have forgotten how it works. Email server, POP3, and IMAP are all terms that are unfamiliar to us, despite the fact that they are the components that allow us to send and receive emails even if the person with whom we are interacting is in another country. An email server is a computer software that your computer connects to via your internet service provider.
After sending an email, the server connects to the email recipient’s mail server, allowing him or her to view your message. Depending on the email provider, the sender and receiver servers may be the same. Every time someone writes or gets an email, the process of joining and reconnecting to an electronic post office is performed, so you can imagine how powerful a system has to be when utilized as a server.
When sending an email, for example, your mail carrier connects to the email server via SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), POP3 (Post Office Protocol), or both. These two, work hand in hand with IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol) servers, which are in charge of fetching your received emails. SMTP servers sift emails according to destinations and deliver them to the correct recipient, just like a post office. If for whatever reason it is unable to transmit your message, it will alert you of the failure. As a result, we receive error notifications in our inboxes stating that an email was not delivered for the reason given.
How to Set Up a Secure Email Server on Your Own
Setting up your own private email server shouldn’t be difficult if you follow the steps below carefully.
The first thing you’ll need is email server software to get started. There are numerous programs to choose from. However, the majority of them are paid.
Simply follow these instructions to install the app after downloading it:
- Run the file you just downloaded.
- Click Next on the Setup welcome screen.
- On the following screen, select the radio button that says “I accept the agreement.” Before you do anything else, be sure you read the license agreement.
- Choose where you want to install the application on the next screen. It’s preferable to install it on the C: drive.
- Choose Full Installation from the drop-down menu on the component’s selection page, then click Next.
- Select the database you want to use in the following window. Choose the first option, which is to use the built-in database engine. Next should be selected.
- After selecting whether or not to create a start menu shortcut, click Next.
- You’ll be prompted to create a password for your email server on the next screen. Click Next after entering a secure password.
- Now press the Install button. Allow for the installation to finish.
- After the installation is complete, check the Run (whichever server software you have downloaded) Administrator box and click Finish.
Your private email server is now ready to use after you’ve completed the procedures above.
To receive and send emails, all you need is a client like Thunderbird or Outlook. To log in, use the domain credentials you created before.
Summary
Setting up your own email server, as you can see, is not difficult. In fact, if you don’t run into any unexpected complications, it should take you less than an hour to have everything up and running. However, if you require more advanced capabilities, it is recommended that you engage an IT specialist to set it up for you.
If you are unable to set up your own email server, the next best option is to use alternative, secure email providers.