SocketMail Professional Edition is a professional e-mail server that enable you to do multi-domain hosting. From a single point of installation in a particular server, you can run virtually unlimited e-mail (and webmail) service. This is particularly useful if you are an e-mail service provider. SocketMail Pro require you to have a dedicated server and root access to install and configure.

We strongly suggest that you read through the whole page to get full understanding of SocketMail Pro components.

General Concept

SocketMail Pro is for serious e-mail service provider and therefore the main control of the whole system is called a Provider. The Provider manages domains on the server. Each domains are administrate by Webmaster.

Per server, there is only one (1) Provider and the Provider function is to provide service to all hosts/domains which the provider hosted. Each host then serve public or users. From this relationship, its clear that each node or members of the relationship have it own task and function. Therefore, provider will have Provider Console (via web browser) to administrate service for hosts/domains.

Host/Domain will have Webmaster Console (via web browser) to manage rights and functionality provided by provider plus to serve it users. End-user will have the web client interface to manage it mails and to utilize services and products provided by the provider via the host.

Components

The incoming mails are handled by integrating SocketMail with your servers MTA (see MTA Integration section below). The integration with your server existing MTA (such as Exim/Qmail/Sendmail/Postfix) to enable SocketMail to process incoming mails and deliver them to user mailboxes.

As of version 2.2.8, SocketMail Pro comes with POP3/SMTP daemon as well as implementation via xinetd/inetd service. You may offer accounts to send and receive emails via their favourite email client such as Outlook. If you are using the daemon, the POP3/SMTP server can be turned on/off from the admin page (unless your php is on safe-mode, then you need to do it manually). Simple and easy to run. However, you have alternative to implement the POP3/SMTP server via your servers xinetd/inetd service. Therefore there are two (2) ways of implementing the POP3/SMTP service, either using the daemon or via xinetd/inetd service. Using the xinetd/inetd service may have more advantage as you may define more parameters as provided by xinetd/inetd service, they dont need to be restarted when your machine restarted and the service is a bit faster too.

MTA Integration

SocketMail can be integrated with your existing MTA on your server such as Exim, Qmail, Postfix or Sendmail. The integration involves manual process of modifying the MTA configuration file. This require certain level of knowledge in managing your server system.

With MTA integration process, you may define selected domains to be receive and process by SocketMail engine whilst the rest of the domains on your server still continue to have their mails managed and process by the existing MTA.

POP3 Server

SocketMail POP3 server is implemented using your server Inetd or Xinetd service (a TCP wrapper).

You may want to define SocketMail POP3 server to listen to other port number so that it will not conflict with the standard port 110. Because of the nature of retrieval POP3 is based on user action, you can tell your user to configure their e-mail client to retrieve mails using the port number you defined rather than the standard port.

Using E-mail Client

Using SocketMail Pro, each domain (and it users) can be configured and defined if they can send and receive e-mails using their favourite e-mail clients such as Outlook, Eudora and TheBat. This definition need to be defined by the Provider (refer to General Concept section) to the particular domain. The sending of e-mail from an e-mail client is done by connecting to an Outgoing/Outbound SMTP server. The mail retrieves by an e-mail client is normally done via POP3 server. Therefore to enable this service, Not only the configuration in the Administrator Control Panel (Admin CP) of SocketMail need to be proper, the Outgoing SMTP and the POP3 server should be up and running on your server.

The POP3 service been touched in the section above and the Outgoing SMTP will be touch in the next section.

Outgoing SMTP

You need to set-up the SocketMails Outgoing SMTP using xinetd service in your server. Again, the port should be a different port number than port 25. Because of the nature of sending e-mail from e-mail client is based on user action, you can tell your user to configure their e-mail client to define the outgoing mail server and port number you defined rather than the standard port.