# qmail - the 2nd most hated MTA on the internet



## crocutus (Jan 20, 2016)

I used to be able to make mail/qmail work with mail/vpopmail, but it's been a while.

Are these ports broken, or have I unlearnt something in the intervening years?

Specifically, I am totally unable to make roaming users or auth_smtp work, no matter what I try.

Just trying to get some mail going on a Digital Ocean droplet and don't want to choke down a whole lot of documents just now, so I'm trying to go with what used to work for me.

As for VPopMail's roaming users, it's pretty plain that VPopMail isn't updating the ~vpopmail/etc/tcp.smtp.cdb (or tcp.smtp) in response to my logging in. The text file is unaltered, and the cdb file is exactly the same size before and after login.

All my WWW searches are pulling up stuff from the last century. Any suggestions?


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## Oko (Jan 21, 2016)

crocutus said:


> All my WWW searches are pulling up stuff from the last century. Any suggestions?


Isn't that expected? Is Daniel Bernstein coding again? That would be the first time in this millennium  For starters all those patches from 20+ some years for qmail, tunydns, djbdns, and the rest of his tools should be integrated by "upstream". I am sure code could use some refreshing too.


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## crocutus (Jan 21, 2016)

The stuff wont even compile anymore on OpenBSD.

The FreeBSD ports seem resonably actively maintained though.

But the linux-centric toaster sites seem dodgier than porn.


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## wblock@ (Jan 21, 2016)

There are other, better-supported and more common MTAs.  You're going to have to switch at some point, so now might be a good time.


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## crocutus (Jan 21, 2016)

Looks like

Just reading up on OpenSMTPD
Pretty easy reading as learning a new MTA goes. OpenBSD gang generally do good things.

The massively broken inter7 web site scared the crap out of me. Just buttons that do nothing mixed with some dead links.


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## crocutus (Jan 21, 2016)

My main motivation here is to avoid paying to renew some hosting that comes due in a couple days. 

I've got the qmail crap up and accepting mail for the addresses in question but can't send. I'll puzzle out OpenSMTPD over the weekend.

Apparently, I've greatly underestimated the extent of my skill rot.


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## SirDice (Jan 21, 2016)

Common alternatives for Qmail are mail/postfix and mail/exim.


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## crocutus (Jan 26, 2016)

Never used exim. Seem to remember it as having a pretty sordid past security wise.


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## wblock@ (Jan 27, 2016)

There aren't any MTAs with a completely clear security record, including Postfix.  Pick one that is well supported and has a large group of users.


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## Oldrancher (Jan 27, 2016)

wblock@ said:


> There aren't any MTAs with a completely clear security record, including Postfix.  Pick one that is well supported and has a large group of users.


I'll concur with this recommendation, but add sendmail to Postfix as recommendations.  Both are widely used and well supported.  Sendmail is part of the 
distribution, on the .cd1.iso installation disk.  

I have used sendmail for the past 20-odd years on a variety of systems, and am about to migrate from Solaris to FreeBSD sendmail with a configuration that has been built up over several years.  Sendmail administration sounds complex, but isn't.  Use the `m4` macro files (*.mc) to build the .cf files.  The README included in the sendmail distribution covers most of the basics, although purchase of the O'Reilly "Bat Book"
(Sendmail) gives you a lot more detail and I'd recommend it.


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## wblock@ (Jan 27, 2016)

Since you mention it, I use Sendmail also.  Look at /etc/mail/Makefile, which makes it surprisingly easier to use.  `make maps`, for example.


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