From owner-freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG Wed May 9 15:25:12 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-isp@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-isp@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BB67216A400 for ; Wed, 9 May 2007 15:25:12 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tibor@tibor.org) Received: from alpha.tibor.org (66-230-99-2-cdsl-rb1.nwc.acsalaska.net [66.230.99.2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6F8ED13C448 for ; Wed, 9 May 2007 15:25:12 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tibor@tibor.org) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by alpha.tibor.org (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id l49FPBRH098446; Wed, 9 May 2007 07:25:11 -0800 (AKDT) (envelope-from tibor@tibor.org) Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 07:25:11 -0800 (AKDT) From: Mike Tibor To: Richard McNeilly In-Reply-To: <4641D2EB.5070909@grenadianone.com> Message-ID: <20070509070843.G98236@alpha.tibor.org> References: <4641D2EB.5070909@grenadianone.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-3.0 (alpha.tibor.org [127.0.0.1]); Wed, 09 May 2007 07:25:11 -0800 (AKDT) Cc: freebsd-isp@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Email server recommendation X-BeenThere: freebsd-isp@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Internet Services Providers List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 09 May 2007 15:25:12 -0000 On Wed, 9 May 2007, Richard McNeilly wrote: > I am trying to plan a ISP deployment using FreeBSD. I am more familiar with > Linux but during my research, it's been pointed out that FreeBSD is the more > stable and reliable choice for an ISP. Especially as an email server. > > What is the best way to manage the addition of new users to the email server? > local users or is there a database solution. Also is there a software > package available to easily administer email accounts or does it all have to > be done with custom scripts. > > I would welcome any suggestions of anecdotes of experience. > > Regards, > Richard As much as I like FreeBSD, a good Linux distribution works just fine in the ISP setting--it really boils down to the skill sets of the people who are going to be working on them. If your people have lots of experience with one, but not the other, it makes little sense to force upon them the one they're unfamiliar with simply because someone else thinks it's technically better. Keep in mind though that sendmail configuration on Linux is pretty much the same as sendmail configuration on FreeBSD, so we're kind of splitting hairs here. Methods of managing users probably depends on the size of the user base. My guess is that you'd be much happier managing users in an LDAP back end instead of local users. There's lots of stuff out there for managing accounts in LDAP--LDAP Account Manager is one of them, and it's in the ports tree. Mike