E-mail Sever

While Windows XP isn't the first choice for running an e-mail server, there are several different options available to you. You can go two routes: 1. Install a full fledged e-mail server, web server and other items (XAMPP - available at http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html). 2. Just install the webmail server: Mercury Mail Transport System (http://www.pmail.com/index.htm). Download the software and follow the general guidelines below. ---------- Here is what you will need to do: 1. Ensure that you have a domain name that resolves to the machine you want to host the e-mail server on. For a permanent domain name, try Googling for domain registrar or domain registration. Or try using a site such as dyndns.org to register your domain name for free. 2. If on a residential link, make sure you can open port 25 on your router and that it isn't blocked by your ISP. If it is, you will have to use a non-standard port and a third party relay. If you can receive traffic on port 25, you will need to map TCP port 25 to route all connections on that port to the Windows XP machine running the e-mail server. You will need to refer to your modem/routers documentation for specifics. 3. Install the software you downloaded above on the machine that will act as the host. Follow any on-screen messages and be sure to read the documentation that comes with the software. Note: It is highly recommended that you install anti-virus software on your computer that acts as the server - preferably a package that will screen all incoming and outgoing e-mails. Typical desktop anti-virus programs might not work correctly with your server. 4. Create some user accounts on your server. 5. Connect to the server from another computer using your favorite e-mail client. Try sending an e-mail to an account on another system (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, etc). 6. Login to the other e-mail system and see if your e-mail arrived. If it did, this means that you can send e-mails. Try replying and see if the response is received at your server. If it is, this means that you can send and receive e-mails from your server. Congratulations, you now have your own Windows XP based e-mail server. Make sure you pay special attention to warnings in the e-mail server documentation regarding security. One final word: Never ever allow SMTP relaying to occur unless you want to have your domain/IP address blacklisted making it difficult to send and receive e-mail.

There are some email servers which you can install on Windows XP, like the pegasus mail and mercury transport system. From my experience though, I haven't seen production grade email servers which used Win XP, even Microsoft Exchange requires server grade windows (Win 2003 server etc). The more common email servers are usually installed on either a UNIX system or Linux System. If you have systems administration background, you can perform the task of installing and managing your email server (either exposed to the internet or just for experimentation on your LAN), you will need some knowledge though of the DNS servers (you need to put some entries on MX or Mail Exchange records), and some basic concept of MTA (Mail Transfer Agent), MUA (Mail User Agent), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and POP3 (Post Office Protocol). If you are quite new to this, I would suggest to get the help of a more experienced technologist. Hope this helps. Happy lottin.

Fromm My limited knowledge I think you will have to buy a domain space.