Mail Server Setup

To confirm proper email generation from all the various pipeline tools, it make sense to set up a local mail server so we can have local email addresses to use. For this we’ll set up a LAN based email service based on Postfix. The details are provided at GitHubGist. The instructions specify setting up a localhost.com email domain but since this is a Wakanda server, we’ll set up a wakanda.com email domain instead.

# Point localhost.com to your machine
# edit /etc/hosts file to make the domain wakanda.com point to your machine,
# including this content to the file:

127.0.0.1 wakanda.com

# Install Postfix
sudo apt-get install postfix

# Two prompts will appear. For the first, select **local only**. For the second, select the **System mail name**.
# Here I selected **wakanda.com**

# Configure a catch-all address
# Create file /etc/postfix/virtual
sudo nano /etc/postfix/virtual

# Add the following 2 lines content, replacing with your user account where <your-user> = **hirosh7**
@wakanda hirosh7
@wakanda.com hirosh7

# Configure postifx to read the /etc/postfix/virtual file
sudo nano /etc/postfix/main.cf

# Check if the following line is enabled. If not add it
virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtual

# Activate it via
sudo postmap /etc/postfix/virtual

# Reload postfix via
sudo systemctl restart postfix

Install and Configure Thunderbird

# Install Thunderbird (typically on Ubuntu this is already installed)
sudo apt-get install thunderbird

  • Skip the welcome screen (click in the button to use existing accounts);

  • Click in the Settings button at top right (similar to Chrome settings) then click on Preferences > Account Settings

  • Under Account Actions choose Add Other Account

  • Select Unix Mailspool (Movemail)

  • Ingoing and Outgoing server will be: localhost

  • Restart (close and reopen) Thunderbird

Start The Mail Spool File

This step has two purposes:

  1. Test your install

  2. Stop the Unable to locate mail spool file message

Using Thunderbird:

You should now be set up for all pipeline tools to send emails to your development account (i.e. hirosh7@wakanda.com)