Multi Server usage/setup

[norbie]

Hi all,
here is the scenario:

Multi Server (physical) setup web server, mail server, dns1 and dns2 server, db server.

WEB IP    75.nn.nn.23
MAIL IP    75.nn.nn.24
DNS1 IP   75.nn.nn.16
DNS2 IP   75.nn.nn.17
DB IP       75.nn.nn.25

All computer are setup with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64 Bit, except DNS2 is 32 Bit only.
I followed the multi server tutorial for debian and modified a few things to match it to the Ubuntu server.

Webserver has also the ISPConfig 3 Control panel installed.

Originally I wanted to use the DB server for all databases e.g. mail, web but I think I will waive this idea, because it will get much too complicated for an old guy like me and detach the db server.

Here is what I would like to do:
Run all mail issues on the mail.server.tld using ISPConfig3 but not the web server database.
I would like to use the Mail Server to store vmail accounts or at least being available.
I would like to also install Roundcube onto the mail server.
I think it is a lot easier to understand if the database is on the mail server unless there is an easy way to tell ISPConfig3, to use the mail server which is on a different public IP.

I hope that's the way it works, or I might have already lost my train of thought here.

So far I figured that I need another apache server on the mail server. However, if I do that,
ISPConfig loses control over it or?
If I don't, I don't know where to put roundcube!
If I put roundcube onto the web server, it will not find the mail database.

I haven't understood what ISPConfig handles and what not, perhaps I will never undestand?

I am concerned to follow some other tutorials that assume that everything is on the same server (physically).

This is the part I am not really following.
Also, some data would be on the server with the control panel and other data would be elsewhere, possibly inaccessible to the web server.

Just a small annoyance note: It would be nice if the Advertisement, in some editing instance, could be kept in its designated space so I can see what I just wrote! without dissappearing undeneath it!

NOT sure if I expressed my goals in such way that others will understand what I would like to do.

On another note, it seems every time I do a so called clean install, something else does not work anymore, though it worked before.
I see a lot of POSTFIX, DOVECOT mail issues posted and I have one too at this latest install.
Apparently, postfix and or dovecot does not know how to read user accounts or passwords anymore, since I can't setup any IMAP accounts anymore. Complains about user password for mail account!
The server are running e.g. Postfix and dovecot.

For us average user that know up to a point how to use a command line, when things go wrong, it is far beyond our understanding. It will take days, if not weeks to find something that might describe the issue we ran into. Mostly, we cause more damage than we do good, once we found something we thought would be the same problem.

I apologize foir the long winding post and hope I didn't bore anybody to death with it.

Regards,
Norbert

[till]

Run all mail issues on the mail.server.tld using ISPConfig3 but not the web server database.

Thats required nayway by ispconfig and configured in this way when you follow the multiserver installation tutorials.

I would like to use the Mail Server to store vmail accounts or at least being available.

ISPConfig uses always virtual mail accounts, so that covered in each install guide.

I would like to also install Roundcube onto the mail server. If I put roundcube onto the web server, it will not find the mail database.

Roundcube does not connect to the mail database at all, it connects to the imap server over tcp/ip and it does not matter were the mailserver is, so it does not has to be installed on the mailserver.

If I don't, I don't know where to put roundcube!

Install roundcube on the webserver. It dies not has to be installed on the mailserver s it connects remotely to the server by imap / smtp anyway.

Just a small annoyance note: It would be nice if the Advertisement, in some editing instance, could be kept in its designated space so I can see what I just wrote! without dissappearing undeneath it!

THis should not happen, I wil check that.

On another note, it seems every time I do a so called clean install, something else does not work anymore, though it worked before.
I see a lot of POSTFIX, DOVECOT mail issues posted and I have one too at this latest install.

There arent that many posts here if you take in account that there are about 15 - 30 thousand new installs of ispconfig each month.

Apparently, postfix and or dovecot does not know how to read user accounts or passwords anymore, since I can't setup any IMAP accounts anymore. Complains about user password for mail account!
The server are running e.g. Postfix and dovecot.

Please post the exacterror messages form the mail log file.

For us average user that know up to a point how to use a command line, when things go wrong, it is far beyond our understanding. It will take days, if not weeks to find something that might describe the issue we ran into. Mostly, we cause more damage than we do good, once we found something we thought would be the same problem.

Thats why we provide support here and instructions what we need to know for a specific kind of problem.

http://www.howtoforge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58408

[norbie]

Hi Till,
well, I am one of those that has his imgination going wild, if I don't really know.

Your reply helps to understand the mechanism better.
I took the Database Server out of the loop, since what I need to do, can be done at the master server. I was trying to distribute the load since my gear is mostly dinky 1.7 / 1.8 GHz cpu's.
I like to use SBC's because of their low power consumption, since I don't use the setup commercically.
All for the HAM Radio's sake!

In regards to the mail error log, I got impatient and did a Wipenheimer. Therefore, the logs are on the trip with Wipenheimer.

With the Postfix problems, in no way did I want this to appear as a complaint, I am searching for probably the past 2 years for something that would work. During this search for fortune I ran across so many other people that had problems with their e-mail server setup''s. I had mine working for I guess 6 month. Then their was a dovecot update! Since then it was limping along. So i went out to search for more adventures and found HowToForge, which is by far the best collection of many solutions.

Thanks again for your reply,
if I run into the e-mail problem again ( don't know yet, the machine is knitting the LVM together at this moment, over 1TiB) I'll post the error log, which I think contained a complaint about authentication. This is what I remember, others had mostly problems with.

P.S.
The advertisement might cover up the typing only if you edit from the post and of course if large enough, button to the right, next to quote.

[norbie]

Hi,
I am sorry, but I am back again, since the mail part does not work even after a complete fresh install.
On my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Mail server, I am having problems to create a user account.

I am using Thunderbird, which insists to do the configuration by itself, however, fails to authenticate the username or the password or both. Both do exist!

Here is an excerpt from the mail error log:

Sep 11 08:58:02 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 08:58:02 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:00:01 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:00:01 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:00:11 mail postfix/smtpd[7713]: fatal: no SASL authentication mechanisms
Sep 11 09:00:36 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=7714, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:01:01 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:01:01 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:01:31 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=7714, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:02:01 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=7714, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:02:01 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:02:01 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:02:36 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=7714, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:03:01 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:03:01 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling

and here is an excerpt from the Mail Log:

Sep 11 09:30:02 mail postfix/smtpd[8342]: connect from localhost[127.0.0.1]
Sep 11 09:30:12 mail postfix/smtpd[8342]: fatal: no SASL authentication mechanisms
Sep 11 09:30:13 mail postfix/master[32341]: warning: process /usr/lib/postfix/smtpd pid 8342 exit status 1
Sep 11 09:30:13 mail postfix/master[32341]: warning: /usr/lib/postfix/smtpd: bad command startup -- throttling
Sep 11 09:30:37 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=8343, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:31:02 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:31:02 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:31:32 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=8343, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:32:02 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=8343, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:32:02 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:32:02 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling
Sep 11 09:32:37 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Error: Timeout waiting for handshake from auth server. my pid=8343, input bytes=0
Sep 11 09:33:02 mail dovecot: pop3-login: Disconnected: Inactivity (no auth attempts): rip=127.0.0.1, lip=127.0.0.1, secured
Sep 11 09:33:02 mail dovecot: auth: Fatal: Unknown database driver 'mysql'
Sep 11 09:33:02 mail dovecot: master: Error: service(auth): command startup failed, throttling

Interestingly, I don't try to login POP3, in fact I disabled POP3 login for this account.
Not knowing much about the foregoings behind the scene, I think, I will wipe the entire setup and start over again. Webserver / Mail Server / DNS1 and DNS2.....

Maybe not!

Perhaps I forgot to install sasl2-bin and what goes along with it?

After all, I used the Debian Squeeze tutorial....

When I re-built the mail server the Master did already have two Web sites running . Perhaps the database on the master, got discombobulated and might have entries that don't work with the newer ones,or simply double entries?

Well, any help is appreciated!

[till]

The dovecot-mysql package is not installed. I just checked the perfect setup guide for ubunrtu 12 lts and the package is listed there to be installed in chapter 12.

[norbie]

Till,
I really didn't expect such a fast response.

Since I did mix some of the Debian Multiserver turorial and the Perfect Server, I must have just overlooked this minor detail with great effect.
I've installed the dovecot-mysql package and viola, I can setup my account. Actually, I tried from my ISP's mail account to this domain and it worked fine.

Hate to bother you any more, but I have one more problem that I can't get straight in my head.

I have four domains registered, the mail server runs vistaham.com.

How would I weave in the other three domains to have them receive and send through the mail server.

I created the MX records, may be still propagating at this moment.
Technically all I would have to do is create the domain and mail boxes. Right?

Thanks much,
I am still learning and with a little luck I will retain some of it, hi.

Norbert