Postfix

Richard Blum writes great books, open source email security and another book I forget, something about network traffic analysis. this is a great book for those sendmail folks fedup with config files :)Feel free to contact me anytime about my other comments I have or info about Postfix itself. I'm a self made user and run my own anti-spam server using postfix/amavis/razor and spam assassin. [email protected]

I don't understand the negative review stating that book is 50 percent installing RedHat. I couldn't even find RedHat in the index. There are about twenty pages that address Unix and Linux.I needed to set up a mailserver and have very little experience in this area. This book gave me the information I needed, in plain English, to get up and running for my particular application.Additionally there is a great deal of information on other aspects of running a mail server.There is also information on setting up Postfix with webmail programs, using it with MySql, ldap, imap, pop3, and much more.What helped me the most were the details on how all this stuff works. The book did not assume I was a Linux guru (as many books do) but was not condescending, either.This book has chapters that might seem too basic for the professional IT that simply wants specific information on Postfix. But for the rest of us, I highly recommend it.

I have to strongly agree with a review that said this book is a decent introduction for people new to administering unix email servers in general and Postfix in particular.I recently had to set up a mail server and this book handled almost all of my needs. Sure, there is some very "basic" information that can be skipped, but what is basic for one person might represent a critical knowledge gap in another.This book, and an occasional peek at the example configuration files or online references will allow you to set up and effectively administer a Postfix server.

Although frequently panned, I think this book is a decent introduction for people new to administering unix email in general, and Postfix in particular. The sections on Postfix are good, but could use more depth. There are lots of examples. Although I more often turn to the web for reference, this book is still used frequently.

Part I is a quick introduction to the basics of email and postfix. This part can probably be skipped by many intermediate to advanced readers interested in Postfix. But nonetheless, provides a good introduction to those without a comprehensive understanding of email protocols and the basics of postfix.Part II of the book covers Postfix in detail and is well layed out in a logical manner. Starting with the configuration of the 'master' process, Blum then progressively explains the configuration of the Postfix system and its various features. Part II ends with more practical example configurations, administration and troubleshooting tips and a Sendmail to Postfix migration chapter. Part II alone, would be a good book to have.Part III covers advanced topics such as using MySQL or OpenLDAP maps and ends with a short chapter on performance tuning. The chapters in this part are brief and would not constitute the definitive source for advanced features of Postfix. However, they serve as a quick-n-dirty guide useful enough to help you get started with advanced features of Postfix.Overall, a good book to have if you've always wanted a handy resource for Postfix without having to read the online documentation or search through the list archives. The book is also up-to-date, covering the first so-called "stable" release (20010228).