Knowledge Requirements - what do you need to know?

While the single server setup is geared towards beginners, you can't be a complete newb. First, you will want to have a descent knowledge of *nix based operating systems (Unix or Linux) and be comfortable in those environments. You should have a basic understanding of how DNS works and how DNS zone entries work. Terms like nameserver, A record, CNAME, MX record and PTR should not be strange terms that you've never heard of. You should also be familar with the use of rsync and crontab. There will be other smaller items you will need to know as well, but those pretty much fall under general Unix/Linux knowledge previously mentioned.

Server/System Requirements - what do you need to have?

Here's a list of server and system requirements. If you don't meet any one of these, you'd better do something about it because the setup simply won't work without them.

1. A single server running some sort of Unix/Linux operating system. DNS servers do not take much processing power so, while a super bad-ass server is always a plus, a slower server is not anything to get worried about. You will need root access to the server. Virtual private servers (jails) will usually NOT work.

2. At least 2 unused IP addresses.

3. Daemontools - If you've already installed my version of Qmail, you should already have this installed. If not, click here to learn how to install it.

4. UCSPI-TCP - Again, if you've already installed my version of Qmail, you should already have this installed. If not, click here to learn how to install it.

5. Firewall requirements - You will want ports 22 and 53 open. 22 should already be open for SSH services, so just make sure you've got traffic on port 53 allowed as well.

That's all. Once you've got these 5 items covered, you can proceed to the actual installation.

Proceed to Step 2