How to Set Up Axigen Mail Server: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Axigen Mail Server

Introduction

Axigen is a powerful, all-in-one mail server solution offering secure email services, calendaring, and collaboration tools. It is an excellent choice for businesses and service providers looking for a reliable and high-performance email server. This guide will walk you through the Axigen mail server setup on a Linux-based VPS or dedicated server.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

  • A VPS or dedicated server (Recommended: 4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, and 50GB SSD)
  • A fresh installation of Ubuntu 20.04 or CentOS 7/8
  • A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com)
  • Root access to the server
  • Valid DNS records (MX, A, and SPF records)

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    Step 1: Update Your Server

    Before installing any software, update your system packages:

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  # For Ubuntu
    sudo yum update -y                      # For CentOS
    

    Step 2: Set the Hostname

    Set your server's hostname to match your domain.

    hostnamectl set-hostname mail.yourdomain.com
    

    Verify it:

    hostname -f
    

    Step 3: Download and Install Axigen

    1. Download Axigen Mail Server

    Visit the official Axigen website and download the latest version of Axigen. You can also use wget to download it directly:

    wget https://www.axigen.com/mail-server/download/rpm/latest/axigen-10.6.7-1.x86_64.rpm  # For CentOS
    wget https://www.axigen.com/mail-server/download/deb/latest/axigen_10.6.7-1_amd64.deb  # For Ubuntu
    

    2. Install Axigen

    For Ubuntu:

    
    apt install /root/axigen_10.6.7-1_amd64.deb

    For CentOS:

    dnf install /root/axigen-10.6.7-1.x86_64.rpm

    Step 4: Start and Enable Axigen Service

    Once installed, start the Axigen service and enable it on boot.

    sudo systemctl start axigen
    sudo systemctl enable axigen
    

    Verify if Axigen is running:

    sudo systemctl status axigen
    

    Step 5: Open Required Firewall Ports

    Axigen requires certain ports to be open for email services:

    udo ufw allow 25,143,993,110,465,587,80,443,9443/tcp
    

    For CentOS with firewalld:

    sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=smtp
    sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=imap
    sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=pop3
    sudo firewall-cmd --reload
    

    Step 6: Configure DNS Records

    Proper DNS configuration ensures smooth email delivery. Set up the following records in your domain DNS settings:

    1. MX Record:

    Type: MX
    Name: @
    Value: mail.yourdomain.com
    Priority: 10
    

    2. A Record:

    Type: A
    Name: mail
    Value: <Server IP Address>
    

    3. SPF Record:

    Type: TXT
    Name: @
    Value: "v=spf1 ip4:<Server IP> -all"
    
    • Generate a DKIM key inside Axigen and add it as a TXT record in your DNS settings.

    Generate DKIM Key: Use the command line to generate a DKIM key for your domain.

    cd /var/opt/axigen
    openssl genrsa -out dkim.privkey.henrybroadway.com.pem 2048
    openssl rsa -in dkim.privkey.henrybroadway.com.pem -outform PEM -pubout -out dkim.pubkey.henrybroadway.com.pem
    chmod 600 dkim.*.pem
    chown axigen:axigen dkim.*.pem

    Add DKIM Record: Copy the key to your domain’s DNS settings as a TXT record.

    Run the following command to get your DKIM public key.

    cat dkim.pubkey.henrybroadway.com.pem

    Final Step: Bind DKIM to Your Sending Domain

    For Incoming Emails:

    Go to:
    Security & Filtering > Acceptance & Routing > Advanced Settings
    Create a rule named:
    Check_DomainKeys_and_DKIM


    For Outgoing Emails (Signing):

    Go to:
    Security & Filtering > Acceptance & Routing > Advanced Settings
    Create a rule named:
    DomainSign-yourdomain (replace yourdomain with something meaningful like your brand or company name)

    Set the following conditions (ALL must match):

    • Sender domain is yourdomain.com (change to your actual domain)
    • Connection is authenticated

    Actions to perform:

    • DK Selector: 2024
    • DKIM Selector: 2024
    • DK Key Path: dkim.privkey.yourdomain.com.pem
    • DKIM Key Path: dkim.privkey.yourdomain.com.pem
    • Enable Sign Domain Key
    • Enable Sign DKIM
    • Add a DMARC record: Type: TXT Name: _dmarc Value: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]"

    Then, update Axigen’s SSL settings via the WebAdmin panel.

    Step 8: Configure Email Clients (Optional)

    You can now configure email clients like Thunderbird, Outlook, or mobile mail apps using the following settings:

    • IMAP Server: mail.yourdomain.com (Port: 993, SSL/TLS)
    • SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com (Port: 587, STARTTLS)
    • POP3 Server: mail.yourdomain.com (Port: 995, SSL/TLS)

    Conclusion

    You have successfully installed and configured the Axigen Mail Server. This setup ensures a secure, reliable, and high-performance mail system for your domain. For additional customization, explore Axigen’s advanced features like mail filtering, spam protection, and clustering.

    Need help? Drop your queries in the comments below!

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