Chapter 2. Before Installing the Messaging Server

Table of Contents
2.1. Planning a Messaging Server Configuration
2.2. System Requirements
2.3. Installation Options
2.4. How the Messaging Server Alters Your System
2.5. Installation and Configuration Overview

This chapter presents important information you need to consider before installing the Messaging Server:

2.1. Planning a Messaging Server Configuration

We recommend that you consider the following factors before installing the Messaging Server. Doing so will allow you to administer the Messaging Server more efficiently and better accommodate the changing needs of your system.

fresh installation 

We recommend installing the Messaging Server on a clean, freshly-installed system that is dedicated for mail server use.

number of mail clients
  

Estimate the number of mail clients your system must service for a reasonable period of time into the future. This will help you determining licensing and system hardware needs.

Volution Manager and Volution Online
  

The Volution platform includes powerful system management and administration products that can be used effectively with the Messaging Server. For more information on planning an installation with these products, see "Using Volution System Management Services" in Chapter 2 of the Administrator's Guide for more information

local or remote LDAP server
  

Determine whether the LDAP server component of the Messaging Server will be located on the same host system as other Messaging Server components or on a different system. For example, you might locate the LDAP server on a different system if you manage the Messaging Server system with Volution Manager, which is also LDAP-based. LDAP is the only Messaging Server component that can be located on a remote system. See "Configuring a Remote OpenLDAP Server" in Chapter 7 of the Administrator's Guide for more information

Note: This is an advanced configuration procedure that requires extensive LDAP knowledge and experience.

component file locations
  

Messaging Server components are installed in default locations. They can be moved, but doing so after the Messaging Server is serving mail will cause a disruption in mail services. See "Managing Messaging Server Components" in the Administrator's Guide for more information.

local user accounts 

Caldera OpenLinux installation provides the opportunity to create user accounts. However, mail to these users can only be received at their Linux mailboxes and cannot be accessed using IMAP or POP servers. If you want these users to receive mail through the Messaging Server, you must either remove the users or create separate Messaging Server mail accounts for them with different user IDs. During installation of the system on which you will run the Messaging Server, we recommend that you not create accounts for any user for whom you intend a Messaging Server account.

Note: In particular, do not configure a local system account named "admin". Doing so will prevent the Messaging Server administrator from receiving email.

2.2. System Requirements

Platform:Caldera OpenLinux Server 3.1 or Open UNIX 8 Release 8.0 with Linux Kernel Personality
RAM:minimum 64Mb system + 1Mb per user, 512Mb recommended (in addition to platform requirements)
Disk space: minimum 40Mb system + appropriate mailbox allocation per user (in addition to platform requirements)
Networking:TCP/IP networking with DNS name resolution configured
Installation profile:OpenLinux: webserver
 LKP: Web Server
Language support:English only in this release

Your designated Messaging Server system must also satisfy basic system requirements. In particular:

For more information, see the Caldera OpenLinux 3.1 Installation Guide and the Open UNIX 8 Getting Started Guide.

Do not attempt to install the Messaging Server on a system with an MS Windows operating system already installed. The installation will fail in unpredictable ways. The autorun.inf facility is included on the media distribution only for the purpose of displaying release documentation.

To ensure that RPM packages required by the Messaging Server are already on your system, select the webserver installation profile (or All Packages). Other profiles do not contain the full set of RPM packages required by the Messaging Server. This is required for both native and LKP installations.

The following RPM packages are required by the Messaging Server and should not be removed from your system:

    apache
    apache-devel
    apache-doc
    libpam
    libpam-devel
    openldap
    openldap-devel
    openssl
    openssl-devel
    openssl-devel-static
    pam_ldap
    perl-modules
    php
    php-doc

Warning

The Messaging Server reconfigures these packages. Do not recompile or update them except as documented for product upgrades; doing so might disable the Messaging Server.

We recommend that you use one of the following browsers for both administrative and client use:

Netscape Communicator 4.7 can be used, although some features of the Messaging Server graphical interfaces are not functional with this browser.

2.3. Installation Options

The Messaging Server installs on Caldera OpenLinux Server 3.1:

Messaging Server operation and performance are equivalent on these platforms with comparable hardware and networking.

In addition to conventional installation on a local system, the Messaging Server can be installed using Volution Manager, provided that a Volution Manager Client is installed on the target system.

Volution Manager Server Release 1.1 can be installed on a system with the Messaging Server, although the Manager Server must be installed first. The Messaging Server cannot be used with Volution Manager Server Release 1.0.

2.4. How the Messaging Server Alters Your System

The Messaging Server adds the following RPM packages to your system:

volutionmsgMessaging Server framework
volutionmsg-docMessaging Server documentation
cyrus-imapdCyrus IMAP server
cyrus-saslCyrus SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer)
db3Berkeley DB programmatic toolkit
db3-develBerkeley DB header files, libraries, and documentation
gqGQ graphical browser for LDAP
perl-Convert-ASNASN.1 Encode/Decode library for perl
perl-IMAP-AdminIMAP-Admin module for perl
perl-ldapperl interface modules for LDAP servers
postfixPostfix Mail Transport Agent (MTA)

Messaging Server components install by default on a single system. If you want to configure the Messaging Server to use a remote LDAP server, see "Advanced OpenLDAP Configuration" in the Administrator's Guide.

Warning

The open source software packages listed here have been adapted for use on a Messaging Server system. They should only be updated by Messaging Server releases. Installing them from other sources, including non-Messaging Server OpenLinux distributions, might disable the Messaging Server.

The Messaging Server removes the following components from your system during installation:

sendmail 

Including the sendmail, sendmail-cf, and sendmail-doc packages. Configuration parameters of this and other MTAs will conflict with those of the Messaging Server Postfix MTA. In addition to sendmail, conflicts have also been noted with qmail.

imap 

Including the imap and imap-devel packages. Configuration parameters of this and other IMAP or POP servers will conflict with those of the Messaging Server Cyrus server.

Warning

Reinstalling any of these packages or installing new versions of them from other distributions will disable the Messaging Server.

The Messaging Server installation on Open UNIX 8 sets the following kernel tunable parameters for the components specified:

Apache 

  • SHMMAX 655576064

  • SHMSEG 15

Postfix 

  • SDATLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • HDATLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • SFNOLIM 2048

  • HFNOLIM 2048

  • SVMMLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • HVMMLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • SHMMNI 1000

  • ARG_MAX 1048576

  • SFSZLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • HFSZLIM 0x7FFFFFFF

  • MAXULWP 65000

  • SSTKLIM 0x3FFFFFF

  • HSTKLIM 0x3FFFFFF

  • MAXLINK 32767

  • NBUF 128

  • NHBUF 32

  • MAXUP 5000

  • NPROC 12500

UNIX Domain Sockets 

  • In /etc/conf/sdevice.d/ticots:

        ticots   Y   2048   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   -1

Note: The installation log records this tuning activity as errors; these errors can be safely ignored.

Additional kernel tuning might be required on your Open UNIX 8 system. For more information, see the Open UNIX 8 Getting Started Guide and the Messaging Server Late News.

2.5. Installation and Configuration Overview

The basic steps to install and configure the Messaging Server are:

  1. Plan your Messaging Server deployment and review the "System Requirements" discussed in this chapter.

  2. Install the base platform, the web server profile of either Caldera OpenLinux or Open UNIX 8, as described in your platform documentation.

  3. If desired on Caldera OpenLinux, install Volution Manager Server before installing the Messaging Server.

  4. Install the Messaging Server as described in "Chapter 3. Installation and removal".

  5. Point your web browser at http://hostname/msg to access the Server Manager interface, as described in "Chapter 4. Administering the Messaging Server".

  6. Log in to the Server Manager as admin with the password admin and change the password for this administrative account, as described in "Chapter 4. Administering the Messaging Server".

  7. Use the Server Manager to configure and administer your Messaging Server mail system, adding user accounts, aliases, and domain arrangements as desired, as described in "Chapter 4. Administering the Messaging Server".

  8. Configure users' mail client software by instructing them to connect to http://hostname/msg from their desktop computers using personal user accounts and passwords, as described in "Chapter 5. Administering Mail Client Users".

Consult the remainder of this document and the Administrator's Guide for more detailed instructions.