help on setting up a webboard&SMTP server

[lecter]

I managed to get phpBB working fine on my Windows 2003 Server, however there is one problem: for its inbuilt mailing function to work, it needs a SMTP server...I've tried setting one up on my server but I don't know how to handle the domain names...the site&forum are running of a plain IP & a dot.tk domain redirection. So, any tips on either setting up a SMTP server or completely disabling any mailing functions in phpBB?

Thank you in advance.

[Sasq]

havn't played with W2k3 server, and been a while since I played with W2k server.

There is an inbuilt SMTP service, that should handle all 'localhost' SMTP queries, You will find it located near the IIS setup stuff. (sorry we don't use Win servers here, and my OS is Japanese so the names are meaningless to you)

Play with that.

[lecter]

Thanks for the reply Actually I managed to solve the problem with a pretty weird function of phpBB-it can just go 'through' any SMTP server...i keyed in my university mail server settings and it works fine now, though to the user it look like they're receiving mail from my personal account, which is @hotmail

[Sasq]

welcome to the world of spam look closely at the header info and it gives the truth away

[Dilitante1]

take a peek here

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/entserver/POP3_SMTP.asp

[lecter]

Thanks, I tried that already but it didn't work 'cause I don't have a real domain name.

[Sasq]

Well the real solution would be install *nix. rip out the standard sendmail and replace it with qmail.

But I take it you don't want to go that far.

*sendmail has a horrible track record for security holes, so qmail is the prefered alternative.

[lecter]

I guess I forgot to mention that I hate all *nixes Also, I have some experience admining Win2K, so it's definitely easier to move around in 2003 Server than to seek out the secrets of *nix.

[Belwarrior]

hmmm i am interested in how you did your setup.. i have a situation here which could use your knowledge
I would like to try to setup up a dial-in server that can forward mail (or say help out the main smtp server) from my Uni. The users have mail accounts with the Uni but they are located where they only have wireless telephone line.
By the way, i am not allergic to any OS and wouldnt mind trying anything that can run on x86 hardware
any links to information sources would be greatly appreciated

[lecter]

I'm a bit unclear as to what you need: I set phpBB up to use the university mail system as its mail forwarder. All I did was put in the uni's smtp server address and my account on it, and it sends mail through that account while to the guy who gets the mail the From: adress is my hotmail address which I put in when I registered as the phpBB admin.

For what you seem to need, may I suggest www.web2mail.com? You can check pretty much any POP account from any browser that way.

[Belwarrior]

hmm.. i can try that out for testing purposes should work out fine for single user... is it possible to modify it for multiple users? anyway this project (if it can be called that ) is not high priority but worth pursuing during the spare time..as it would be a good temporary solution while the staff wait for their internet access (maybe in 3 yrs time )
web2mail looks interesting.

Ah well let me hijack this thread

actually there would be many stages involved if i try this out..alright i give you the current status.. i got roughly 30 university staff working on this island to which there is no physical connection. The government would be laying cables in about 3 to 5 yrs time.
Till then the only means of communication to the rest of our world is through wireless telephone.
Previously when everything was paper-based it was okay as the staff took one day during the week to come to the mainland for personal admin but now due to everything being pushed online and the paper mode withdrawn. Due to this they are ending up doing things double and they are fed up spending their research time on something that was going on smooth previously (its a long story!!!).
My idea stems from the fact that data can be successfully transmitted (the fax machine using the wireless line is working at least at 9600kbps) so if i can setup a dial-in server to act as a mail-forwarder for my university (i have given up on my university tech support - bunch of nice guys actually but they are unwilling to try anything new) or at the very least a BBS where they staff can download the latest university news etc.
This may be very nigh improbable but you wouldnt know until u try it.. but this is not urgent or anything (just a case of u know of doing something that might help others and you learn something in the bargain)

I have a few such schemes in my mind so i can try another out if one doesnt work

[lecter]

Originally posted by Belwarrior
i got roughly 30 university staff working on this island to which there is no physical connection.

That sounds downright freaky...ur a Matrox-loving Dr. Moreau or smthn?

[Sasq]

Depending on the server setup... can you access your mail from home now.

If yes, just get them a normal dial in ISP account, and let them access email that way.

[Kurt]

What kind of access do they have at university?

[Belwarrior]

Lector : hehe i try to get away to the island every fortnight if possible, its quite peaceful.. the staff there are happy to do their research (nothing sinister -> just things like marine bio-fouling and study of some marine species) and work with any interference from the university.

Sasq and Kurt : Mail can be accessed from home (everyone stays on the mainland - so they can access mail and use VPN for intranet-related stuff, its just that ), here in singapore every ISP here including my university do not support anyone connecting below 33.6 kbps (technology is pushed forward quickly; frankly speaking very few people are using dial-up, adsl is cheaper ) and i dont think the access from the island is hitting above 14.4 kbps
So I was thinking setting up a dial-in server and let it be a mail-forwarder so that in case of urgent emails could be sent to them instead of them going home or the university to do it.

Come to think of it, if i can setup a dial-in server that can accept low baud rates and let the island staff have access to the internet they can check email, as the university provides online mail access

worst case, i'll just ask the staff to wait until the island get connected by cable.