ISMail EP FAQ

General:

What is ISMail EP?
ISMail EP is a mail server for Windows PCs. It supports ESMTP, POP3, IMAP4, Webmail on multiple domains with anti-spam, backup, relay, remote administration, and other features.

ISMail EP is an enhanced version of the ISMail product (comparison)

Does ISMail EP have Webmail?
Yes, if used with the ISMail-Web plug-in. For more information, see the ISMail EP-Web FAQ.

What does ISMail EP cost?
See price list.

Requirements:

What operating system does ISMail EP require?
ISMail EP requires Microsoft® Windows® 2000, XP, or 2003.

What is the minimum system configuration?
Minimum recommended configuration for 100 users is:
CPU: P3 400Mhz
RAM: 128MB
Disk: 10GB

A larger hard disk is recommended if mail accounts do not have any quotas.

Do I need a static (fixed) IP address to use ISMail EP?
No, but a static IP address is highly recommended and is a de facto requirement if ISMail EP is used on the internet.

Can I run ISMail EP with a cable modem?
So long as you have access to port 25 (SMTP) and either port 110 (POP3) or port 143 (IMAP4), you can run ISMail EP. Also, check with your cable modem service to find out their policy regarding servers. As with other internet connections, a static IP is highly recommended.

Will ISMail EP run with a Firewall, Router, or Proxy Server?
Yes. Please see the section on Firewalls, Routers, and Proxy Servers.

Installation and Uninstallation:

How do I install or uninstall ISMail EP?
Please see the ISMail Installation Guide for detailed instructions.

Trial Copy of ISMail EP:

What can I do with the Trial copy of ISMail EP?
The trial copy is a full copy of ISMail EP and includes all features and options.

The trial copy will, however, display a License Manager window whenever it is started, and will expire after a limited period of time. Click 'OK' in the License Manager window to run the trial version of ISMail EP.

Setup:

How do I setup ISMail EP?
How to Setup a Mail Server is a beginner's guide to the setup and use of a mail server.

ISMail EP setup instructions are also available in the ISMail EP User Guide (on-line or within the product). Some of the individual setup options are also discussed in this FAQ.

Once ISMail is setup, run the ISMail Setup Test (a.k.a. Basic Access Test) to check that ISMail EP is working, the mail servers are accessible from the internet, and the DNS settings are correct for the domain(s).

Domains:

What is the primary domain name used for and how do I set it up?
The primary domain name is used to identify the mail server domain to others wishing to send you email. It must be a registered internet domain (or subdomain) name and correctly configured in a DNS.

Since the domain name is used for addressing email messages, the actual domain name should be used, and not an alias:

See the ISMail EP User Guide setup instructions for further information.

How do I setup multiple domains?
Multiple domains may be setup using the 'Multiple Domains' configuration page. To setup multiple domains using the same IP address, use the Address Mapping 'virtual' rather than specifying an IP address.

DNS:

What is the DNS used for and how do I set it up?
The DNS is used to lookup the IP address for a domain to which you want to send a message.

Enter the IP addresses for your ISP DNS servers here.

The default values (or 'Don't Know DNS Servers' button) will set the DNS servers to the internet root servers. This setting may be temporarily used, but is NOT recommended as it may not correctly resolve all domain names.

Note: the DNS nameservers used for sending a message to others are different than the DNS nameservers used by others to send a message to your domain(s). This setting is only used for sending a message to others; the DNS settings for your domain(s) specifiy the nameservers used by others to send a message to your domain(s).

User Accounts:

What are the user accounts and how do I set them up?
User accounts are the mail accounts supported by ISMail EP, from which you send and receive mail messages.

Note: the special account 'nobody' can be created to accept any messages that arrive for unknown users; otherwise, these messages are bounced.

See the ISMail EP User Guide for further information.

How do I setup an Outlook or Outlook Express account?
See Outlook or Outlook Express Account Setup

I have multiple domains but can not receive mail on some of them. How do I fix this?
When using more than one domain, the email client program must specifiy both the account name and the domain name for the 'incoming' mail server login so that ISMail EP knows which domain to use.

For example, if there is an account 'user1' on 'domain1.com' and another account with the same name ('user1') on 'domain2.com', then the email client (e.g. Outlook) must be configured with the first account as 'user1@domain1.com' and the second account as 'user1@domain2.com'. These values are set in the login information (account name) for the 'incoming' mail server.

Note: Webmail automatically appends the domain name so you need not do so in the Webmail login.

I setup two user accounts with the same name on two different domains, but when I login I always get the same account. How do I fix this?
See previous item.

See the ISMail EP User Guide for further information.

How can I setup a 'catchall' account that will receive messages addressed to all unknown users on a domain?
To receive messages addressed to unknown users on a domain, add a user account named 'nobody' to the domain. Otherwise, messages addressed to unknwn users on a domain will be refused from the sender. If you have more than one domain and want 'catchall' accounts on any other domain, add an account named 'nobody' to each domain where the 'catchall' account is desired.

What are mailing list accounts?
Mailing list accounts are mail accounts used to distribute messages to a list of 'subscribers', which are just other email accounts. A copy of each message sent to a mailing list account is automatically forwarded to each of the subscribers.

How do I add a mailing list account?
On the ISMail Pro 'Accounts' configuration page:

  1. Select the domain name which will contain the account
  2. Click 'Add List'
  3. Enter the mailing list account name and click OK

How do I add a 'subscriber' a mailing list account?
On the ISMail Pro 'Accounts' configuraiton page:

  1. Select the domain name containing the account
  2. Select the account
  3. Click 'Configure'
  4. Next to the 'Subscribers' box, click 'Add'
  5. Enter the email address of the subscriber and click OK

Firewalls, Routers, and Proxy Servers:

How do I get ISMail EP to work behind a firewall, router, or proxy server?
A firewall, router, or proxy server is designed to be located between a user's machine and the internet. It will hide the IP address of the user's machine from view, thereby preventing direct access by external users or programs, some of whom may be malicious. ISMail EP operates on a very restricted set of ports and contains a number of security safeguards. It can be exposed for access to the SMTP (port 25), POP3 (port 110), and IMAP4 (port 143) protocols. Most firewalls, routers, and proxy servers can be configured to enable external access to these ports for one or more machines which they protect. Check the vendor's user manual for instructions on how to do this. Typically, it can be done using a telnet program or web browser. Also, run the ISMail Setup Test for more information.

Firewalls may also be setup using software on the server machine. See, e.g., Windows Firewall Setup.

Anti-Spam:

How does ISMail EP protect against spam?
ISMail EP has 7 layers of defense against spam at the connection, protocol, and message levels:

The blocked IP list is used to deny a connection from any specified IP, or range of IP addresses.

DNS RBL (real-time blackhole) filters are used to deny access from any IP appearing in an internet DNS RBL database. RBL databases generally contain IP addresses of known sources of spam or other messages deemed undesirable. Many DNS RBL databases are available (some free, some commercial); an example using a free DNS RBL is given below.

Reverse DNS checking is used to verify that the sender's IP address has a reverse DNS (PTR) record. The value of the reverse DNS record is not checked (frequently, the record just identifies an ISP), but the record must exist. Legitimate senders nearly always have reverse DNS records; missing reverse DNS records make it harder to identify a sender.

Blacklists (Whitelists) are used to deny (accept) access from specific IP addresses, domains, or email accounts. These values are checked at the SMTP protocol level and not in individual message headers. Although these values can be forged, it it somewhat harder to forge them at the SMTP protocol level than in the message headers.

The Greylist is used to require that messages from unlisted IP/sender/receiver 'triples' be retried before being accepted (listed). This reduces 'hit and run' spam attacks and provides time for offending IP addresses to appear in DNS RBLs, where they will be found using the DNS RBL filters. More information on Greylisting can be found at: http://projects.puremagic.com/greylisting/

Content filters are used to mark or delete messages based on identifiable message header or content information.

What is the easiest way to setup ISMail to block spam?
The easiest way to block spam is to:

How do I setup ISMail EP to block specific IP addresses?
On the ISMail EP Access configuration page:

  1. Locate the 'Blocked Ip Addresses' section
  2. Click 'Add Range'
  3. Enter an IP address (or an IP address range) to block
  4. Click OK and then Apply

How do I setup ISMail EP to use DNS RBL filters (e.g. Spamhaus)?
On the ISMail EP Access configuration page (screenshot):

  1. Select the Filter 1 checkbox
  2. In the Name box, enter the host name for the DNS RBL
    (e.g. zen.spamhaus.org)
  3. Click Apply

Note: the Spamhaus project is at http:/www.spamhaus.org and describes a test which can be run to verify that the DNS RBL filter is working.

How do I setup ISMail EP to use DNS RBL filters more strictly?
Certain RBLs (e.g. zen.spamhaus.org, dnsbl.sorbs.net) contain a broader variety of IP addresses than those which are blocked by default (127.0.0.2-7). To use one of these RBLs, either add or modify the 'Filter 1' entries above or add another RBL using 'Filter 2'.

To block messages from IPs that are identified by additional RBL return codes, the Registry must be edited as follows:

  1. Open the Registry Editor (Start->run->regedit)
  2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/InstantServers/ISMail-Smtp
  3. Open SmtpReceiver
  4. Add a New String Value of 'BlackholeIpAddresses'
  5. Enter the value '127.0.0.2-12'

All RBL return values in the range of 127.0.0.2, 127.0.0.3, ..., 127.0.0.12 will now be blocked.

See 'spamhaus.org' or 'www.sorbs.net' (Using SORBS) for more details on these return codes.

Other ranges for 'BlackholeIpAddresses' may also be used if desired. Multiple ranges may be used by separating each with a semi-colon (e.g. 127.0.0.2;127.0.0.4).

A separate Registry entry ('RelaySpamStopperIpAddresses') may be added for Filter 2 if the RBL return values for Filter 2 are different than Filter 1.

How do I setup ISMail EP to use Reverse DNS checking?
On the ISMail EP Access configuration page (screenshot):

  1. Select the Reverse DNS Required checkbox
  2. Click Apply

How do I setup ISMail EP to use Blacklists and Whitelists?
Blacklists and Whitelists can be setup at the server, domain, or user account level. Server-level blacklists and whitelists affect all messages; domain-level and user account-level blacklists and whitelists only affect messages to or from specific domains or user accounts, respectively.

Blacklists and whitelists may contain IP addresses, domain names, or account names.

To add or remove a server-level blacklist or whitelist entry:

  1. Open the 'Access' configuration page
  2. Click the 'Whitelist/Blacklist' button
  3. To add an entry, click 'Add' and enter an IP address, domain name, or account name and click 'OK'
  4. To remove an entry, select the entry and click 'Remove' and then click 'OK'

To add or remove a domain-level blacklist or whitelist entry:

  1. Open the 'Multiple Domains' configuration page
  2. Select the domain name
  3. On the 'Content Filter' line, click the button labeled with this domain name (Note: clicking the 'All Domains' button is an alternate way of selecting the server-level blacklists and whitelists)
  4. Click the 'Whitelist/Blacklist' button
  5. To add an entry, click 'Add' and enter an IP address, domain name, or account name and click 'OK'
  6. To remove an entry, select the entry and click 'Remove' and then click 'OK'

To add or remove a user account-level blacklist or whitelist entry:

  1. Open the 'Accounts' configuration page
  2. Select the domain name containing the account
  3. Select the account
  4. Click 'Set Content Filter'
  5. Click the 'Whitelist/Blacklist' button
  6. To add an entry, click 'Add' and enter an IP address, domain name, or account name and click 'OK'
  7. To remove an entry, select the entry and click 'Remove' and then click 'OK'

How do I setup ISMail EP to use Greylisting?
On the ISMail EP Access configuration page:

  1. Select the 'Greylist' checkbox
  2. Click Apply

To change the Greylist options:

  1. Click the 'Options' button
  2. Set the Initial Block Period to the number of minutes to block messages with unlisted IP/sender/receiver values. The default is 60 minutes. If set to 0, messages will be delivered more quickly, but Greylisting may be less effective
  3. Set the Block Period Lifetime to the number of minutes that an unlisted IP/sender/receiver will be temporarily stored pending another message with the same IP/sender/receiver values. After this period, the record will be deleted and the IP/sender/receiver must again pass through the Greylist filter. The default is 240 minutes (4 hours).
  4. Set the Pass Record Lifetime to the number of days that a listed IP/sender/receiver will remain valid. During this period, messages with the same IP/sender/receiver will always pass through the Greylist filter. The default is 36 days (long enough for messages sent once per month from the same IP/sender/receiver to be accepted without Greylisting)
  5. Click 'OK'

How do I setup ISMail EP to use Content Filters?
To use Content Filters for all ISMail EP domains, or for a specific domain:

  1. Open the 'Multiple Domains' configuration page
  2. On the 'Content Filter' line, click 'All Domains'. If you wish to filter a specific domain, select the domain in the pull-down menu and click on the domain in the pull-down menu and click on the domain name in the 'Content Filter' line.
  3. On the Filters tab, select the 'Message Filter Active' box
  4. Select the Filter Type (Default, Custom, or both)
  5. If Default is selected, choose the level of filtering (note that the default filter is subjective and may filter too many messages or too few messages for your liking)
  6. If Custom is selected, click Options
  7. Enter the desired filter rules and click Apply

Note: the Content Filters are quite aggressive and will filter messages that do not use strict MIME format. Due to the large number of mailers which fail to conform to MIME, Content Filters may result in significant false positives and should be used only when senders are known to conform to MIME.

How do I setup ISMail EP to use Heuristic filtering?
To use heuristic filtering for all ISMail EP domains, or for a specific domain:

  1. Open the 'Multiple Domains' configuration page
  2. On the 'Content Filter' line, click 'All Domains'. If you wish to filter a specific domain, select the domain in the pull-down menu and click on the domain name in the 'Content Filter' line.
  3. On the Filters tab, select the 'Message Filter Active' box
  4. Select the 'Heuristic filter' checkbox.
  5. De-select the 'Default' and 'Custom' filter boxes (this will avoid the requirement that messages use strict MIME as discussed in the Note above).
  6. Choose a Filter Match Action and click Apply.

How do I tag messages identified as spam for email client filtering?
To tag messages matched by a Content Filter so they can be later filtered by an email client program or email client filter:

  1. Open the Content Filter in use (server, domain, or account-level)
  2. On the Filters tab, select 'Mark message and deliver to recipient'
  3. Check the 'Append [SPAM] to subject line'

Then, in the email client program (or email client filter), search for '[SPAM]' in the 'Subject' line of messages. If '[SPAM]' is present, then the message was matched by the Content Filter.

Anti-Virus:

How do I get ISMail EP to work with anti-virus software?
ISMail EP can run any anti-virus scanner with a DOS command-line interface. The scanner will be run on each message sent or received. This provides protection from external virus infections, as well as stopping the spread of mail-borne viruses from internally infected machines.

Anti-virus setup instructions for many popular anti-virus scanners are listed below.

How do I setup and configure ISMail EP to work with ClamAV?
To use ISMail EP with ClamAV, download and install the ClamAV system and then configure ISMail EP to use ClamAV as follows:

Primary Method (requires .NET, which may also be installed at this time):

1. Download and install ClamAV for Windows from:
http://w32.clamav.net

2. Update ClamAV virus definition files automatically using the 'freshclam.exe' utility. This can be done by running 'freshclam.exe' (e.g. c:\program files\clamAV\freshclam.exe) in the Windows scheduler on a daily basis.

Run 'freshclam.exe' manually to initialize the virus database (c:\Program Files\clamAV\freshclam.exe).

3. Setup ISMail EP configuration for ClamAV:

4. Start ClamAV from a DOS command window using c:\Program Files\clamAV\clamd

Alternate Method (older method, does not require .NET):

1. Download and install ClamAV for Windows from:
http://www.sosdg.org/clamav-win32/index.php

2. Update ClamAV virus definition files automatically using the 'freshclam.exe' utility. This can be done by running 'freshclam.exe' (e.g. c:\clamav-devel\bin\freshclam.exe) in the Windows scheduler on a daily basis.

3. Setup ISMail EP configuration for ClamAV:

4. Improving ClamAV Performance

For much faster anti-virus scanning, a background scan daemon 'clamd.exe' and file submission program 'clamdscan.exe' can be used instead of running the complete anti-virus scan utility 'clamscan.exe'.

To use clamd/clamdscan, ISMail EP must be configured to use clamdscan.exe and the clamd.exe program must be started as follows:

To use clamdscan.exe with ISMail EP:

To start clamd.exe:

Note: check the Task Manager to make sure clamd is running as it is sometimes necessary to run 'start-clamd' twice.

To stop clamd:

5. Finding problems with ClamAV

To find problems with ClamAV, the scanner can be setup to log results as follows:

The file 'c:\clamscan.log' will show the results of the virus scan.

How do I configure ISMail EP on Windows NT/2000/XP to work with F-Prot Anti-VirusTM software (http://www.f-prot.com/)?

  1. Download and install the anti-virus program
  2. Disable the anti-virus program on the desktop (i.e. disable the 'On-Demand' scanner and the scheduler. No anti-virus icon should appear in the tray or it will interfere with the anti-virus scanner in the mail server)

Next, on the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page:

  1. Check the Anti-Virus Scanner Active box
  2. Set the 'Path to the scanner' to the 'fpcmd.exe' file (e.g. c:\program files\fsi\f-prot\fpcmd.exe)
  3. Enter the scanner arguments: /AUTO /DISINF /DELETE /NOBOOT /NOMEM /SILENT %f
  4. Select 'Check Return Code' and enter the values: 3,6 (Note: see product documentation for description of all return values)
  5. Clear the 'Notify Recipient If Virus Found' box
  6. Clear the 'Notify Sender If Virus Found' box
    (Note: many viruses contain forged email addresses so notification is not possible; however, if a virus was sent from a local account, the user will always be notified regardless of the setting of this box).
  7. Clear the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  8. Check the 'Scan Entire Messages for Viruses' box
  9. Click Apply
  10. Exit and restart ISMail EP

Note: Testing the anti-virus scanner:

  1. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, omit '/SILENT' from the Arugments box
  2. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, check the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  3. Send an email message with the harmless EICAR test virus (http://www.eicar.org) attached as 'eicar.com'
  4. A popup window will appear when the virus is found; follow the popup instructions to dispose of the virus

How do I configure ISMail EP on Windows 98/ME to work with F-Prot Anti-VirusTM software (http://www.f-prot.com/)?

  1. Download and install the anti-virus program (as soon as it is working, we recommend that you Register it and update to the latest version)
  2. Disable the anti-virus program on the desktop (i.e. disable the 'On-Demand' scanner and the scheduler. No anti-virus icon should appear in the tray or it will interfere with the anti-virus scanner in the mail server!)

Next, on the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page:

  1. Check the Anti-Virus Scanner Active box
  2. Set the 'Path to the scanner' to the 'f-prot.exe' file (e.g. c:\program files\fsi\f-prot\f-prot.exe)
  3. Enter the scanner arguments: /AUTO /DISINF /DELETE /NOBOOT /NOMEM /SILENT %f
  4. Select 'Check Return Code' and enter the values: 3,6
  5. Clear the 'Notify Recipient If Virus Found' box
  6. Clear the 'Notify Sender If Virus Found' box
    (Note: many viruses contain forged email addresses so notification is not possible; however, if a virus was sent from a local account, the user will always be notified regardless of the setting of this box).
  7. Clear the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  8. Check the 'Scan Entire Messages for Viruses' box
  9. Click Apply
  10. Exit and restart ISMail EP

Note: Testing the anti-virus scanner:

  1. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, omit '/SILENT' from the Arugments box
  2. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, check the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  3. Send an email message with the harmless EICAR test virus (http://www.eicar.org) attached as 'eicar.com'
  4. A popup window will appear when the virus is found; follow the popup instructions to dispose of the virus

How do I configure ISMail EP on Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP to work with Norton AntiVirusTM software (http://www.symantec.com)?

  1. Download and install the anti-virus program
  2. In the anti-virus program configuration options on the 'Options: Manual Scans' page, set the 'Action' to one of the following:
    • 'Delete the infected file' (to delete the infected message part)
    • 'Try to repair, then quarantine if unsuccessful' (to keep a copy of the infected message part in the quarantine area)
  3. If the ISMail EP POP server is being used, the 'Email Protection' options may not operate on the server (since they use port 110) and may need to be disabled

Next, on the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page:

  1. Check the Anti-Virus Scanner Active box
  2. Set the 'Path to the scanner' to the 'navw32.exe' file (e.g. c:\program files\norton antivirus\navw32.exe)
  3. Set the Arguments box to: %f /M- /B- /NORESULTS
  4. Clear the 'Check Return Code' box
  5. Clear the 'Notify Recipient if Virus Found' box
  6. Clear the 'Nofity Sender if Virus Found' box
    (Note: many viruses contain forged email addresses so notification is not possible; however, if a virus was sent from a local account, the user will always be notified regardless of the setting of this box).
  7. Clear the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  8. Clear the 'Scan Entire Messages For Viruses' box (unlike some scanners, this scanner appears to require messages and attachments to each be scanned separately)
  9. Click Apply
  10. Exit and restart ISMail EP

Note: Testing the anti-virus scanner:

  1. In the anti-virus program configuration options on the 'Options: Manual Scans' page, set the 'Action' to 'Ask me what to do'
  2. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, omit '/NORESULTS' from the Arugments box
  3. On the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page, check the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  4. Send an email message with the harmless EICAR test virus (http://www.eicar.org) attached as 'eicar.com'
  5. A popup window will appear when the virus is found; follow the popup instructions to dispose of the virus

How do I configure ISMail EP on Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP to work with Computer Associatess eTrust Antivirus 7 (http://www.ca.com)?

  1. Download and install the anti-virus program
  2. In the anti-virus program configuration options, select 'Disable Realtime' since the scanner will be run directly from ISMail EP.

Next, on the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page:

  1. Check the Anti-Virus Scanner Active box
  2. Set the 'Path to the scanner' to the 'inocmd32.exe' file (e.g. c:\program files\ca\sharedcomponents\scanengine\ioncmd32.exe)
  3. Set the Arguments box to: -ENG Ino -ARC -ACT Delete %f
  4. Select the 'Check Return Code' box and enter '101'
  5. Clear the 'Notify Recipient if Virus Found' box
  6. Clear the 'Nofity Sender if Virus Found' box
    (Note: many viruses contain forged email addresses so notification is not possible; however, if a virus was sent from a local account, the user will always be notified regardless of the setting of this box).
  7. Clear the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  8. Clear the 'Scan Entire Messages For Viruses' box (unlike some scanners, this scanner appears to require messages and attachments to each be scanned separately)
  9. Click Apply
  10. Exit and restart ISMail EP

How do I configure ISMail EP on Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP to work with Eset NOD32 (http://www.nod32.com)?

  1. Download and install the anti-virus program

Next, on the ISMail EP Anti-Virus configuration page:

  1. Check the Anti-Virus Scanner Active box
  2. Set the 'Path to the scanner' to the 'nod32.exe' file (e.g. c:\program files\nod\nod32.exe)
  3. Set the Arguments box to: /heur+ /delete+ /prompt- /quit+ %f
  4. Clear the 'Check Return Code' box
  5. Clear the 'Notify Recipient if Virus Found' box
  6. Clear the 'Nofity Sender if Virus Found' box
    (Note: many viruses contain forged email addresses so notification is not possible; however, if a virus was sent from a local account, the user will always be notified regardless of the setting of this box).
  7. Clear the 'Show Virus Scan Hidden Window' box
  8. Check the 'Scan Entire Messages For Viruses' box
  9. Click Apply
  10. Exit and restart ISMail EP

Archival:

How do I setup message archival?
To setup archival for all incoming and outgoing messages:

Where are archived messages stored?
All archived messages are stored in special accounts named 'archive-' followed by the account name. For example, messages for account 'joe@domain.com' would be stored in the account 'archive-joe@domain.com'.

Archive accounts can be accessed using standard email clients.

Autoresponders:

How can I setup an account to automatically reply when a message is received?
An autoresponder can be setup for any account on the ISMail EP configuration 'Accounts' page. Check the 'Autoresponder Message' box and enter the text of the message to send. If you also want to specify the 'Subject' line of the message, enter it into the 'Autoresponder Subject' box. Then, click 'Apply'.

LDAP:

What is LDAP and how do I use it?
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is used with a database to store and retrieve mail related information, including account configuration, address books, and remote account settings.

ISMail EP can operate as an LDAP client, an LDAP server, or both.

To use LDAP to access mail related information, see the 'LDAP Database' section of the ISMail EP User Guide.

To configure and activate the LDAP server, see the 'LDAP Server' section of the ISMail EP User Guide.

Public / Shared Folders:

How do I create a public or a shared folder?
To create a public or a shared folder, use an email client program which is configured to access an IMAP mail server.

Create new public folders under '#PUBLIC'.

Create new shared folders under '#USERS/<account>', where '<account>' is a valid account name.

How do I make a public mailbox accessible to all accounts?

  1. Open the 'IMAP' configuration page
  2. On the 'Domain' menu, select the domain that contains the public account which owns the mailbox.
  3. On the 'Account' menu, select the 'imappublic' account.
  4. In the 'Mailbox' window, select the mailbox.
  5. Click 'Add' and select the 'authuser' account. ('authuser' will allow access from any valid account)
  6. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'.

How do I make a public mailbox accessible only to specific accounts?

  1. Open the 'IMAP' configuration page
  2. On the 'Domain' menu, select the domain that contains the public account which owns the mailbox.
  3. On the 'Account' menu, select the 'imappublic' account.
  4. In the 'Mailbox' window, select the mailbox.
  5. Click 'Add' and select the account from which to allow access.
  6. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'.

How do I share a mailbox with all accounts?

  1. Open the 'IMAP' configuration page
  2. On the 'Domain' menu, select the domain that contains the account which owns the mailbox.
  3. On the 'Account' menu, select the account which owns the mailbox.
  4. In the 'Mailbox' window, select the mailbox.
  5. Click 'Add' and select the 'authuser' account. ('authuser' will allow access from any valid account)
  6. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'.

How do I share a mailbox only with specific accounts?

  1. Open the 'IMAP' configuration page
  2. On the 'Domain' menu, select the domain that contains the account which owns the mailbox.
  3. On the 'Account' menu, select the account which owns the mailbox.
  4. In the 'Mailbox' window, select the mailbox.
  5. Click 'Add' and enter the account which should also have access to the mailbox and click 'OK'.
  6. Click 'Apply'.

How do I share a mailbox with specific accounts, but only giving those accounts restricted rights?

  1. Open the 'IMAP' configuration page
  2. On the 'Domain' menu, select the domain that contains the account which owns the mailbox.
  3. On the 'Account' menu, select the account which owns the mailbox.
  4. In the 'Mailbox' window, select the mailbox associated with the desired account. If there is no entry containing both the mailbox and the desired account, first create it as described above.
  5. Select or deselect the rights listed.
  6. Click 'Apply' and then 'OK'.

Relays:

What are relays?
Relays are backup (or 'secondary') mail servers for the main ('primary') mail server. Relays will accept messages for accounts on the primary mail server, and forward them to the primary mail server when it becomes available.

ISMail EP may be used in relaying as a:

If ISMail EP is the primary, another copy of ISMail EP or a different mail server may be used as the secondary. The same applies if ISMail EP is the secondary; another copy of ISMail EP or a different mail server may be used as the primary.

How do I configure the main ('primary') ISMail EP server to use a backup ('secondary') mail server?
On the main ('primary') ISMail EP server:

How do I configure the backup ('secondary' ) ISMail EP server to use the main ('primary') mail server?
On the backup ('secondary') ISMail EP server:

(*)An MX record pointing to the host name of the backup ('secondary') mail server, and an A record defining the IP address of the host name of the backup ('secondary') mail server must be added to the DNS for the domain name. The priority of the MX record for the secondary should be lower (i.e. numerically higher) than the priority for the primary MX record.

Remote Administration:

How do I setup and access Remote Administration?
To use Remote Administration, install the ISMail EP-Web plugin.

See the ISMail EP-Web FAQ and ISMail EP-Web User Guide for more information.

Remote POP:

How do I setup remote POP to download messages from a POP server?

  1. Open the Remote POP3 configuration page
  2. Select 'Add'
  3. Enter the host name of the remote POP3 mail server and a valid remote POP3 account name
  4. Select 'OK'
  5. Now enter the remote POP3 account password, the POP3 From Address, and the POP3 To Address. The POP3 From Address may be the same as the remote POP3 account name (it should include both the account name and domain name of the remote account). The POP3 To Address is a local account (it should include both the account name and the domain name of the local account)
  6. Select 'Apply' and 'OK'

This procedure may be repeated to download messages from multiple POP3 accounts on one or more remote POP3 servers.

After restarting the SMTP server, the remote POP account will automatically be checked and messages downloaded to the account specified by the POP3 To Address.

Security:

How secure is ISMail EP?
The ISMail EP default configuration does not allow open relaying, thus preventing a major source of spam. Senders must be authenticated to send messages to remote domains.

ISMail EP does not accept messages unless the account name is valid or unless a special 'catch all' account is defined. This reduces 'bounce' traffic considerably.

ISMail EP limits the number of connections to counter denial-of-service attacks.

ISMail EP allows access to the server machine on ports 25 (SMTP), 110 (POP3), and 143 (IMAP4). Access is handled by these server programs.

While there are no known security holes in the latest versions of the servers, users should of course remain alert for mail message attachments containing worms, viruses, or other malicious objects which could be contained within messages.

Smarthost:

I can not send any mail directly. What can I do?
ISMail EP supports a 'Smarthost' feature, which allows ISMail EP to use an ISP (or other) mail server to send messages. Because ISP mail servers are more 'trusted' than individual mail servers (e.g. they have static IPs, valid reverse DNS entries, etc.), all domains should accept their mail.

To setup a 'Smarthost':

I can send mail directly to some domains, but not to others. What can I do?
The ISMail EP 'Smarthost' may be setup to be used only when sending a message directly fails. To to this, use the ISMail EP configuration 'Connections' page: check the 'Smarthost' box and enter the name of the mail server to use (e.g. smtp.your-isp-mailserver.com). Make sure the 'Use Smarthost Exclusively' box is NOT checked. Then restart the ISMail EP SMTP server.

I setup a Smarthost but it will not accept my mail. What can I do?
Some 'Smarthost' mail servers require authentication to send messages. ISMail EP supports SASL CRAM-MD5 and LOGIN authentication with a 'Smarthost'. To setup a 'Smarthost' to use authentication, use the ISMail configuration 'Connections' page: check the 'Authenticate' box and enter the name and password for a valid mail account on the 'Smarthost' mail server (not an ISMail EP account). Then, restart the ISMail EP SMTP server.

SSL/TLS:

How do I setup SSL/TLS for ISMail EP?
See How to Setup SSL/TLS secure encryption.

Webmail:

Does ISMail EP have its own web-based mail?
Yes. ISMail EP supports web-based mail ("Webmail") directly with the ISMail EP-Web plugin. The plugin enables direct access to mail through a web browser, including mail account management (such as changing passwords).

Can I access ISMail EP through a web-based mail client such as Mail2Web™?
Yes. Although such web-based mail clients do not store messages, they may be used to access (read and send) mail through ISMail.

With Mail2Web, use 'Advanced Login' to login. Enter the server name and then the complete user and domain names, separated by a '%' (e.g. me%mydomain.com). Although this requires a little more typing, it will allow access to any account on either a single domain or a multiple-domain ISMail EP system.

Selecting the 'IMAP4' mail protocol will usually be faster than 'POP3'.

Can I access ISMail EP through a web-based mail system such as Yahoo!® Mail?
Yes. Such web-based mail systems frequently allow external mail accounts to be checked.

When adding an ISMail EP mail account, enter the ISMail EP domain name as the 'Server', then enter the complete user and domain names, separated by a '%' as the 'Username' (e.g. me%mydomain.com). Enter the password. Then Save the configuration settings.

Currently, only POP3 can be used to access ISMail EP this way.

Troubleshooting:

ISMail EP is not working. What should I do?
If you are having trouble sending mail, see Troubleshooting (problems sending mail).

If you are having trouble receiving mail, see Troubleshooting (problems receiving mail).

If you are having trouble both sending and receiving mail, first see Troubleshooting (problems sending mail) and then see Troubleshooting (problems receiving mail).

If ISMail EP is still not working, please contact Technical Support.

ISMail EP displays a 'Missing .dll' message. What should I do?
ISMail EP requires some network support that is not installed on all machines (e.g. modem files). Visit the Microsoft website and search for 'DLL Help Database' to find out which product or service pack you need.

Troubleshooting: Server does not start:

An ISMail EP SMTP, POP, or IMAP server will not start. What should I do?
If a mail server does not start, make sure that no other server of the same type is running. The following areas should be checked:

  1. Start->Settings->Control Panel->Admin Tools->Computer Management under 'Services and Applications'
  2. Start->Settings->Control Panel->Admin Tools->Computer Management->Services
  3. Normal application programs

Depending on which server fails to start, it may be possible to open a DOS command window on the mail server machine and 'telnet' to the server port to check if another server is running. The DOS 'telnet' command lines for each server are:

If a 'greeting' message appears, then another server of the same type is running and must be stopped before starting ISMail.

An ISMail EP SMTP, POP, or IMAP server will not start but no other server of the same type is running. What should I do?
A server may fail to start if a different version of a .dll file required by the server is also present in the windows\system32 directory. This problem is most commonly caused by 'libeay32.dll' and 'ssleay32.dll'. Such files must be removed from the windows\system32 directory if present.

An ISMail EP SMTP, POP, or IMAP server will still not start but no other server of the same type is running. What should I do?
A server may fail to start if the installation was corrupted. To check the installation, run the Registry editor ('regedit') and open the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/InstantServers/ISMail

A subkey, numbered with the installed version of the system should be displayed. If more than one numbered subkey is displayed, the installation is corrupted. Either: A) delete the incorrect key and re-start the server, or B) uninstall ISMail EP, delete the ISMail key, re-install ISMail EP, and re-start the server.

If a mail server still does not start, check that the pathnames in the Registry entries refer to the actual installation directory of the program (default: c:/program files/instantservers/ismail).

Troubleshooting: Sending mail:

If you can not send mail:

  1. Run the ISMail Basic Access Test from the machine running ISMail EP. The Test checks that the mail servers are running and can be accessed from the internet.
  2. Run the ISMail Basic Access Test from the machine running ISMail EP with the domain name entered. This will check the domain DNS records and report any problems.
  3. Check that the account name and the domain name are specified for the mail account in the email client program (see ISMail EP User Guide 'Setup: Accounts: Client' for examples)
  4. If your email client program displays an error when you try to send mail:
    • Enable SMTP Authentication (LOGIN, NTLM, CRAM-MD5) on the ISMail EP Manager 'Access' tab
    • Enable SMTP Authentication in your email client program (see ISMail EP User Guide 'Setup: Accounts: Client' for examples)
  5. If your email client program does not display an error when you try to send mail:
    • Check the Primary and Secondary DNS Servers on the ISMail EP Manager 'DNS' tab. If you do not know your DNS Servers, check with your ISP or click 'Don't Know DNS Servers' and then 'Apply'. Do not use the DNS Servers of your Domain Name Registrar, as they will probably not work. Do not use the IP address of your server (unless you are running a DNS service and have delegated your domain to it).
    • Check that port 25 is not blocked for outgoing connections by opening a DOS window and entering: 'telnet instantservers.com 25'. If you see a line with '220 instantservers.com ESMTP...' displayed, type 'quit'. This means that port 25 is not blocked for outgoing connections. If, however, the connection fails, then port 25 is probably blocked by:
      • firewall: open port 25 for TCP
      • router: open port 25 for TCP
      • ISP: set 'Smarthost' on the ISMail Manager 'Connections' tab to the name (or IP) of your ISP's SMTP mail server
  6. Send a test message from an ISMail account to a non-ISMail account.
    • If a send error occurs, see 'If your email client displays an error when you try to send mail' above.
    • Check that the account name for the message recipient is valid.
    • If the message is bounced back to the ISMail account, check the ISMail DNS settings on the ISMail EP Manager 'DNS' tab. In most cases, either the ISP DNS server settings or the default settings should be used since some DNS servers do not provide lookups for all domains.
    • If the message is not received on the non-ISMail account, see the ISMail EP User Guide 'Log' section for additional information.

Troubleshooting: Receiving mail has additional troubleshooting information.

Also, see the ISMail EP User Guide 'Log' section.

Troubleshooting: Receiving mail:

If you can not receive mail:

  1. Run the ISMail Basic Access Test from the machine running ISMail EP. The Test checks that the mail servers are running and can be accessed from the internet.
  2. Run the ISMail Basic Access Test from the machine running ISMail EP, also entering the domain name. This will check the DNS records for the domain.
  3. Check that the correct domain name appears on the ISMail EP Manager 'Domain' tab. If your domain name is 'mydomain.com', then use 'mydomain.com'. Do not use 'www.mydomain.com', or 'mail.mydomain.com', or 'smtp.mydomain.com'.
  4. Check that both the username and the domain name are specified for the account in the email client program (see ISMail EP User Guide 'Setup: Accounts: Client' for examples). Note that both the username and password are case-sensitive.
  5. Send a test message from an ISMail account #1 to an ISMail account #2.
    • If a send error occurs, see Troubleshooting: Sending mail.
    • If the message is bounced back to ISMail account #1, check the ISMail domain name, and email client account names as described above. Also, check the bounce message details for failure information.
    • If the message is not received by ISMail account #2 but no error occurs, check the email client account names as describe above.
    • If the message is not received by ISMail account #2 and a POP or IMAP error occurs, access the server directly to determine the cause of the error.
      • For POP errors, open a DOS command window and enter 'telnet mydomain.com 110' where 'mydomain.com' is the mail domain name. If a 'greeting' message appears, type 'quit'. If no 'greeting' message appears, then the connection is being blocked by either a router or firewall.
      • For IMAP errors, open a DOS command window and enter 'telnet mydomain.com 143' where 'mydomain.com' is the mail domain name. If a 'greeting' message appears, type '0 logout'. If no 'greeting' message appears, then the connection is being blocked by either a router or firewall.
      • Routers and firewalls must be configured to allow access to port 110 (POP) and 143 (IMAP). Some routers or firewalls may require an IP address be used instead of a domain name; to check this, replace 'mydomain.com' with the IP address of the server machine in the 'telnet mydomain.com 110' (or 'telnet mydomain.com 143) command above. If the IP address (but not the domain name) can be used to access the mail server, then the IP address must be used instead of the domain name for the 'incoming' mail server name in the email client configuration.
    • See the ISMail EP User Guide 'Log' section for additional information.
  6. Send a test message from an ISMail account to a non-ISMail account.
    • If a send error occurs, see Troubleshooting: Sending mail.
    • If the message is bounced back to the ISMail account, check the ISMail DNS settings on the ISMail EP Manager 'DNS' tab. In most cases, either the ISP DNS server settings or the default settings should be used since some DNS servers do not provide lookups for all domains.
    • If the message is not received on the non-ISMail account, see the ISMail EP User Guide 'Log' section for additional information.
    • If the message is not received by ISMail account #2 and a POP or IMAP error occurs, access the server directly to determine the cause of the error.
      • For POP errors, open a DOS command window and enter 'telnet mydomain.com 110' where 'mydomain.com' is the mail domain name. If a 'greeting' message appears, type 'quit'. If no 'greeting' message appears, then the connection is being blocked by either a router or firewall.
      • For IMAP errors, open a DOS command window and enter 'telnet mydomain.com 143' where 'mydomain.com' is the mail domain name. If a 'greeting' message appears, type '0 logout'. If no 'greeting' message appears, then the connection is being blocked by either a router or firewall.
      • Routers and firewalls must be configured to allow access to port 110 (POP) and 143 (IMAP). Some routers or firewalls may require an IP address be used instead of a domain name; to check this, replace 'mydomain.com' with the IP address of the server machine in the 'telnet mydomain.com 110' (or 'telnet mydomain.com 143) command above. If the IP address (but not the domain name) can be used to access the mail server, then the IP address must be used instead of the domain name for the 'incoming' mail server name in the email client configuration.
  7. Send a test message from a non-ISMail account to an ISMail account
    • If the message is bounced back to the non-ISMail account, check the DNS information for the ISMail domain using the ISMail Basic Access Test as described above.
    • If the message is not received by the ISMail account, check the DNS information for the ISMail domain using the ISMail Basic Access Test as described above. Also, check that the POP or IMAP server is running and accessible from the internet as reported by the ISMail Basic Access Test.
    • See the ISMail EP User Guide 'Log' section for additional information.

Troubleshooting : Sending mail '45x' errors:

A '451' error message is displayed when sending mail. What should I do?
A '451' error may occur if an email client does not authenticate with the mail server. Check that the email client:

See ISMail EP User Guide 'Setup: Accounts: Client' for examples.

I am receiving a '452' error message when sending mail. What should I do?
Depending on the type of '452' error, different actions should be taken. If the '452' error indicates a 'temporary embargo' on the message, then resending it may resolve the problem. If the error still occurs, contact Technical Support.

Messages do not get sent to certain domains. Instead, '499' errors occur. What should I do?
Some mail servers require that any IP connecting to them have reverse DNS record. A reverse DNS record identifies the ISP responsible for that IP address. Request your ISP to add a reverse DNS record for your servers's IP address.

Troubleshooting : Sending mail '499' errors:

Messages do not get sent to certain domains. Instead, '499' errors occur. What should I do?
Some mail servers require that any IP connecting to them have reverse DNS record. A reverse DNS record identifies the ISP responsible for that IP address. Request your ISP to add a reverse DNS record for your servers's IP address.

Troubleshooting : Sending mail '530 Authentication failed' error:

A '530 Authentication failed' message is displayed when sending mail. What should I do?
A '530' error may occur if an email client does not authenticate with the mail server. Check that the email client:

Troubleshooting: '55x' errors:

I am receiving a '550' bounce message when sending mail to accounts on certain domains. What should I do?
A bounce message can occur for several reasons, and depends on the domain bouncing the message. Some specific Problems and Solutions are given below. More information may be available if the error message contains a link to the web site of the organization responsible for the receiving mail server.

Problem: User account - unknown (or disabled)

Solution: Verify that the recipient account is valid and is working by sending a message to that account from another mail account which uses a different sending mail server.

Problem: Open mail server - sending mail server is on an 'open relay' or 'blackhole' list

Solution: Run a 'Database lookup' at http://ordb.org to see if your server (the sending server) is listed as a 'black hole' or 'open relay'. If so, follow the given instructions to have it removed. Be sure to check the 'non-ORDB RBLs' as well.

Problem: IP Address - the receiving server can not verify who 'owns' the sending server's IP address.

Solution: The receiving server may reply with an error about 'IP address subdelegation'. If so, then the sending server's IP address is part of a large block of IP addresses and does not indicate the actual owner. Contact your ISP to have your IP address(es) subdelegated, or use the ISMail EP 'Smarthost' feature.

I am receiving a '55x' bounce message when sending mail to accounts on aol.com. What should I do?
See http://postmaster.info.aol.com/

As a workaround, the ISMail EP 'SmartHost' feature can be used. A 'SmartHost' allows messages to be sent using another mail server instead of being sent directly.

I am receiving a '550' bounce message when sending mail to accounts on rr.com. What should I do?
There are several possible reasons for this. See http://security.rr.com/

Also see 'Problem: IP Address' above.

Troubleshooting: Maximum line length overflow

I see a 'Maximum line length overflow' message in the SMTP log files? What should I do?
Some email client programs violate the SMTP maximum data line length specification of 1024 bytes. To accept messages from these clients, add the following DWORD to the Registry (using 'regedit'):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/InstantServers/ISMail-Smtp/SmtpReceiver//SmtpDataLineMax

That is, add a DWORD 'SmtpDataLineMax' into the Registry key specified before the '//' above.

The default value is 1024 characters, and virtually any reasonable length (e.g 1000000) may be used.

The SMTP server must be restarted for this change to take effect.

Troubleshooting: Windows NT

I am having problems starting (or stopping) the ISMail EP SMTP server under WindowsNT. What should I do?
By default, older versions of ISMail EP require the Windows DNS Client Service, which is not present on WindowsNT. The simplest solution is to upgrade to the latest version of ISMail EP.

With older versions, the ISMail SMTP server can either be run as a Windows Application, or by editing the Registry, to run ISMail SMTP as a Windows Service.

To run ISMail SMTP as a WindowsNT Application:

To run ISMail SMTP as a WindowsNT Service:

Troubleshooting: SSL

The server will not start after I added SSL. What should I do?
To check for server problems:

  1. Open a DOS command window
  2. cd to the ISMail EP installation directory.
  3. cd to the 'Apache\install' directory.
  4. Type 'spp2k.bat' (this sets the PATH environment variable).
  5. cd to the 'Apache' directory ('cd ..').
  6. Type 'apache'.

If you see an error message, usually Apache will display the line number of the 'Apache\conf\httpd.conf' file containing the error. If the error is not obvious, you may be able to get an idea by comparing 'httpd.conf' to 'httpd.conf.prepl'. The latter is a copy of 'httpd.conf' before the last change made.

I get the following error message when starting Apache as above: 'OPENSSL_Uplink(00BC5010,13): no OPENSSL_Applink'. What should I do?
This error may be caused by an incorrectly formatted SSL certificate. If an SSL certificate is copied from an email message, rather than downloaded as a file, it is possible that the line endings are not compatible with PC format. In this case, try copying the certificate using a different editing program (e.g. WordPad instead of Notepad). Or, download the file if possible.