email server recipe

[Kenneth Hawkins]

Howdy all

I know it has been documented numerous times on uncountable web pages, but I am seeking a bit of input regarding replacing an aging email server with a new unit, preferrably based on Ubuntu, with pop/smtp/imap & a good webmail interface & added feature set. Integrated mailing lists would be a major plus, especially one that allows external subscribers.

So far, I have dug into a fresh 8.04 LTS install, with egroupware...wanted it to run with external LDAP server (props to Mike Rosset for his help in getting LDAP through my thick skull), but kept slamming into error trying to connect to LDAP.

Tried cooking a new one with a Debian recipe (http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/555) ran through this one twice...and everything works up until I try to create the admin account in egroupware, and it keeps spitting back that it can't connect to ldap server (127.0.0.1).

FWIW, the server does not need to include egroupware specifically, just some form of tidy, intuitive webmail (sorry - no horde; too fugly - users are used to the optics of windowslive, gmail, or yahoo; eye-candy counts in userland). I would like to keep an external, stand alone LDAP server as the user management, but perhaps I am misunderstanding the role that LDAP plays, vis-a-vis email accounts.

If anyone has any ideas for another recipe, or can recommend one ot the speciallized distro's, I am all ears.

Also FWIW, although I understand the principles of email transfer, and I have built many a linux boxen, including an actual functioning email server (albeit groupwise) I am a generalist by nature and not particularly bright. If an experienced email guru is willing to assist me with some of the nuts & bolts, I will buy the pizza.

TIA
Ken
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