Q It appears, that ASP.NET 2.xx is not visible for my IIS. It does not show in a list of server extensions, and when I try to access the mail server web interface, I am getting strange errors regarding missing data in the metabase, or invalid parameters in the web.config file and so on. How do I reapply ASP.NET to my IIS?

A Go to the command prompt, and issue following command:

%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_regiis -i

Q When sending mail using the web interface, I am getting following error message: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 127.0.0.1:25. How do I solve the problem?

A It happens, because the server specified in the SmtpServerList.xml file in your WebMail\App_Data folder is not correct. Default value is localhost. If your mail server runs on a specific IP address (Options - Server Options - IP Binding on your mail server UI), or if you are accessing it remotely, on other computer, then that value has to be updated.

Go to the folder, where you have installed the web interface (by default, c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\WebMail), find the subfolder App_Data, open the file SmptServerList.xml, contained in that folder in the notepad, and change localhost between Host tags by the actual address of your server, it could ge an IP address (192.168.1.12) or domain name. If necessary, also update the Port value.

Q How do I locate Settings.xml file?

A File Settings.xml contains configuration settings for your server, and was introduced in v1.0.5.8. In earlier versions same information was stored in the registry. We had to move it to file, because 64 bit versions of Windows were having trouble updating registry data.

The file in the <Common Application Data>\ArGoSoft\MailServer.NET\ folder.

Location of Common Application Data folder depends on the version of Windows you use.  In Windows XP/2003 and earlier it is located at c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ .  Application Data subfolder is usually hidden, which means, in order to access it, you will have to enable Show Hidden Files and Folders option in Windows Explorer, under Tools - Folder Options - View...

On Windows Vista/2008 and later Common Application Data folder is located at c:\Program Data\. Similarly to earlier versions of Windows, it may be hidden, and in order to access it you will have to enable Show Hidden Files and Folders option in Windows Explorer, under Tools - Folder Options - View...

Q When installing the Web Interface on Windows 2008 server, I am getting the following error: Setup was Interrupted before ArGoSoft Mail Server .NET Web Interface was Installed. How do I solve the problem?

A You should enable IIS 6 Management Compatibility:

• Go to Server Manager;
• Select Roles node
• In the right panel, scroll to Web Server (IIS);
• Click Add Role Services;
• Select components under IIS 6 Management Compatibility and follow the instructions.

Q I installed your server, everything is configured properly, but when I try to send mail outside of my local domain, I am getting Network Unreachable, or Time Out error. It happens with all destination domains. What's wrong?

A It happens, when your ISP or, one of your anti-spam pieces of sofware or hardware blocks port 25.

There are following solutions:

• If it is your anti-spam feature, disable port 25 blocking;
• If it is your ISP:
  • Switch to some another ISP, which treats their users more fairly;
  • Use one of Alternate Delivery methods of our server (Options - Server Options - Alternate Delivery): Mail Relay Service, or Smart Server. Use of smart server though defeats the purpose of using your own mail server, because all mail will go through your ISP.  For more information about the smart server, see the help file of your mail server.

Use this utility to find out if your port 25 is blocked.  Make sure to run it on the same computer where you are running our server.

Q When installing the server, I am getting error messages that it already exists. However, I don't seem to be able to find any traces of it neither in the "Add/Remove Programs", nor "Admin Tools/Services".

A You must be missing something, but, here are the steps to manually remove the server from your computer (Please be careful, because whatever is described below involves manipulation with registry):

First, let's manually unregister the service

• Run regedit from Start - Run;
• Go to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services;
• Find the entry ArGoSoftMailServerNet;
• Delete it (right click - Delete);
• Restart your computer;

Now, let's remove the traces of server from the Uninstaller:

• Run regedit from Start - Run;
• Go to HKLM\Software\Micorosft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall;
• Scroll down through subnodes, watching for DisplayName ArGoSoft Mail Server .NET;
• Delete the entire subnode;
• Restart your computer;

Now, if desired, we can remove the database MailServerData:

• Go to DOS prompt;
• Drop the database using sqlcmd, see the screenshot below;

Q When installing the server on Vista or Windows 2008 Server, I am getting Error No 2869. How to solve the problem?

A Starting from September 22 2008, the setup should be running withot problems on both Vista and 2008 server. In earlier versions, there was a problem, which is described here.

Q You used to have automatic whitelisting in the Pro version, but it is missing from Pro. Will it be back?

A We do not think that we will be putting it back, until a proper standard or solution is found to identify challenge emails. Until it is done, we do not want to encourage system, which may kill email... The problem is, more people use the sytem, more likely will be the situations, when messages and confirmation requests are stuck in the whitelist queue, and never reach a recipient.

This article explains the situation with automatic whitelisting very well.

Q What is the best way to set up a backup mail server?

A You use Mailbag Domains for this purpose.

You should install two servers on two computers, preferebly belonging to different ISPs (To avoid situations when both your servers are down, in case your ISP is having some major trouble. Then you have to update DNS settings of your domain(s) so that one with the lower preference (higher priority) points to your main server, second, with a higher preference (lower priority) - to your backup server. Set up your users on your main server, then go to your backup server, and add your domains as mailbag domains. You do not have to create any users (but, you can specify acceptable users, see the help file of your mail server for more). Point your mailbags to your main server, and make number of delivery attempts reasonably high.

All will work as follows: if your main server is up, mail will be delivered directly to it. If, by some reason, it goes down, servers will deliver mail to your backup server, which will place mail into mailbags, and keep attempting to deliver it to the main server, until the main server is up and accepts mail, or until the number of delivery attempts is exceeded.

The server also supports ETRN SMTP command: if you are performing the maintenance of your main server, and know that it will be down, you can specify the mailbag on the backup server as suspended. Mail will be arrive there, and will be kept there without any delivery attempts until you ussue ETRN command. The command will release all mail, and server will just push it to the main server. The ETRN command will be issued after maintenance is finished.

Of course, you can have more than one backup server. Backup server does not have to be a full version of our mail server. You can get Mailbag Only version of it. It supports all anti-spam features, but does not allow creation of local users and domains, and supports only SMTP and delivery. Also, it will not accept mail to recipients which do not belong to specified mailbags.

Q When accessing the web interface, users are getting Access to the Path ... is denied errors. How do I solve the problem?

A Give the user, under which IIS is running full access rithts to your WebMail folder.  If you are using Windows 2003 or later, that user is Network Service, for XP or earlier - ASPNET.

Follow these steps:

• Run Windows Explorer;
• Navigate to folder, where WebMail application is located (by default, it is c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\) click WebMail folder, select Properties, then Security tab;
• Click Add button;
• in the Select Users or Groups window, under Enter the object names... box type either Network Service, or ASPNET, depending on your Windows version (see above), and click OK;
• Allow to the user Full Control;

Alternate solution is to impersonate an user, who has full access rights to that folder.

To impersonate an user, find the file web.config in the root of the mail server web interface installation, and somewhere inside of system.web section, insert:

<identity impersonate="true" userName="TheUserName" password="ThePassword"/>

Where TheUserName and ThePassword are username and password of user on your computer, who has full access to your mail server folders.

It is important to insert impersonate tags at the correct section, and not inside of comments. The best place would be to put it just above of </system.web> tag:

                                .
.
.
    <identity impersonate="true" userName="Administrator" password="topsecret" />
</system.web>
.
.
.
                            

Q What are the system requirements for Mail Server .NET?

A If your computer can handle SQL Server 2005 Express, then it can handle our mail server too. See system requirements for it here.

Q I want to move my server from one computer to another. How do I do it without losing my settings and user emails?

A Use backup and restore utilities, which come with your mail server. They are console applications, and are located in the root of your mail server installation. Application file names are DataBackup.exe and DataRestore.exe.

Applications take one argument, name of folder where you want to keep backup data (for DataBackup), or want to restire data from (for DataRestore).

On your original computer, create a folder e.g. c:\MyData\, and run:

                            DataBackup c:\MyData\
                        

After the execution finishes, take with you the folder to new computer. Make sure to keep the subdirectory structure.

Then, after installing new mail server on your new computer, run:

                            DataRestore c:\MyData\
                        

Assuming that you placed the backup folder at c:\MyData\.

Q What is IP Binding for domain groups, and how to use it?

A IP Binding for domain groups can be used only on computers, which have multiple IP addresses. For more information see the following document.

Q Is there a way to place users and logs into alternate directories?

A Yes, there is...

After finding the file Settings.xml, open it in notepad, and add LogPath and UsersPath values...Here is the typical content of the Settings.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ServerSettings version="1.0">
    <ConnectionString>Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=MailServerData;
              Integrated Security=True;User Instance=False</ConnectionString>
    <UsersPath>C:\Program Files\ArGo Software Design\ArGoSoft Mail Server
        .NET\_users\</UsersPath>
    <ProgramPath>C:\Program Files\ArGo Software Design\ArGoSoft Mail Server .NET\</ProgramPath>
    <LogPath>C:\Program Files\ArGo Software Design\ArGoSoft Mail Server .NET\_logs\</LogPath>
    <License>gNTuGm1YouRLicense==-M0hUEC+5GZjceJkYB+sV3+r0KIHVm8Dhno+mBKdBFrKd4g=</License>
    <SqlInstance>MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS</SqlInstance>
    <LastVersionUsed>1.0.5.8</LastVersionUsed>
    <Started>11/20/2008 8:08:17 AM</Started>
</ServerSettings>

It is important to end the paths with a backslash symbol.

If you are using version 1.0.5.7 or earlier, then run regedit, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ArGoSoft\ArGoSoftMailServer.NET\Settings\, and add REG_SZ values Log Path, pointing to the alternate log files location, and Users Path, for user folders.

Q I am having problems with installing the server. Can you help?

A Please see Help with Installation...

Q How do I transfer my users and settings from the Pro version to the .NET version?

A Currently you can transfer only domains, users (including messages in their mailboxes), and mailbag domains.  You must be using Mail Server Pro v1.8.9.0 or later.

Step by step instructions for transferring data are here.

Q How do I allow users to log in using only their username, without appending the domain name?

A If domains are in the _Default domain group, then users on those domains do not need to use their domain name to log in, only the username will work.

If users are not members of the _Default domain group, then they need to use username@domain syntax when logging in.

However, the web interface of mail server (v1.0.2.3 or higher) allows you to specify a domain name, which will be appended to user names, if they do not contain domain names. To do so, run IIS manager, select the WebMail application, click Properties, select ASP.NET tab, click Edit Configuration button, and in the Application Settings section edit Default Domain value, which, why default, is blank.