Community Knowledge Base

Roles of SmarterMail

SmarterMail is a feature-rich Windows mail server that brings the power of enterprise-level functionality and collaboration to businesses and hosting environments. SmarterMail is powerful enough to be used as a complete mail system that performs all of the following roles from a single server. SmarterMail installations can also be used to perform specific functions on mail networks to enhance an existing infrastructure or to gain performance—whether you are running SmarterMail as your primary mail server or to support another mail server that is having difficulty performing under the current load.

As you will discover, SmarterMail can be used to fulfill a variety of roles that can be deployed for little to no cost. Adding SmarterMail in one—or several—of these roles will increase the stability and longevity of your email system.

Provide a Feature-rich Primary Mail Server with a World-class Interface

Use SmarterMail as your primary mail server and provide customers with an unmatched email service that includes industry standard connection methods like POP3, SMTP, and IMAP4; multi-language support; and a browser-friendly design. In addition, SmarterMail delivers all of the coordination, communication, and world-class collaboration functionality that you expect through a familiar and intuitive Web interface. Users have access to shared calendars and the availability of their co-workers to schedule appointments. Tasks can be assigned and emails managed 24/7 with accuracy, speed, and security.

Reduce Server Load and Pre-scan Inbound Messages for Spam

Configure SmarterMail as your inbound gateway server and reduce the load on your primary server. In this role, SmarterMail can manage all inbound SMTP sessions and detect abuse and intrusion attempts. In addition, SmarterMail can also host third-party antivirus and antispam software, such as Declude or Trend Micro, and pre-scan messages prior to delivery to the primary mail server. Best of all, these functions can be integrated at no cost by downloading and installing SmarterMail Free Edition to operate as your inbound gateway server.

Reduce Server Load and Spool Outgoing Messages

In high-volume scenarios, SmarterMail can reduce primary server load by functioning as your outbound gateway server to spool outbound messages. One benefit of configuring SmarterMail in this role is that it functions as an effective method to combat blacklisting and can help ensure a quick system recovery. For example, if one of your IP addresses is blacklisted by an external email provider, you can resolve the issue by changing the IP address of the gateway server or turning off the gateway server until the IP address is removed from the blacklist (providing there are multiple gateway servers set up). In addition, this configuration of SmarterMail can run spam checks on outbound messages to prevent spam messages from being sent to remote servers, thereby reducing the likelihood of a blacklisted IP address. These functions can also be integrated at no cost by downloading and installing SmarterMail Free Edition to operate as your outgoing gateway device.

Ensure Up-time with a Backup MX Server

In the case that your primary mail server goes down, ensure that your users will continue to receive incoming email by setting up a backup MX server. When the primary mail server cannot be contacted, email servers on the Web will attempt delivery to the backup MX server. When the primary server comes back online, the backup MX server will deliver all held email.

Use One Server for All of Your Needs

SmarterMail’s unique configuration system allows the flexibility to configure a server to function in a single role or in multiple roles at once. For example, SmarterMail the flow of traffic through your network without large cost increases.