Installing and configuring the Zimbra email appliance

By Rick Vanover June 7, 2011, 3:53 AM PDT

Image
1
of 8

Installing and configuring the Zimbra email appliance

Zimbra mail appliance

ntOne of the most frustrating technologies that all administrators deal with is email. Virtualization is my primary technology, and when VMware does big things; I take note. Recently VMware acquired Zimbra, makers of an open source collaboration tool that is becoming a contender in the new wave of email solutions.

Download the appliance

ntThe Zimbra appliance is a download from the Zimbra website, and installs as an OVF (Open Virtualization Format) machine. This means that the virtual machine will be downloaded directly to the vSphere infrastructure (either an individual ESXi host or via the vSphere Client connecting to vCenter Server).

Trial version option

ntBasic information for the email appliance is shown here, and this option I’ve selected is the trial version, which is very small. The download is 2.4 GB, and may take some time depending on the Internet connection.

Pick a deployment option

ntThree deployment options are available for the appliance. The trial size is one virtual CPU and 2 GB of RAM, the midsize is two virtual CPUs with 4 GB of RAM scaled to 500 users, and the large version is two CPUs with 8 GB of RAM for approximately 1000 users.

Setting passwords

ntAfter a few basic questions (such as where the virtual machine will reside in the cluster and IP configuration), the installation options are presented. This screen allows passwords to be set for the appliance as it is deployed locally.

ntOnce the options are completed, a summary is displayed. The passwords are displayed in clear text; while I don’t like that; it is handy to screen-shot this step for the initial setup. The OVF will now download, which may take a while.

Login URL and port info

ntAfter the OVF is downloaded, power on the virtual machine. Here, the opening screen is displayed. Note the login URL with port 5480 specified and the IP address of the appliance.

Create a test mailbox

ntTo create a test mailbox, click on the Zimbra Administration tab then click new account. Rich data such as phone number, address, and more are available to be populated in the new user wizard.

ntNow, the newly created user can log in via the mail URL with an SSL connection. The webmail interface is that easy! It would be a good time to poke into the administration section of the management portal and configure some additional email accounts. Here are a couple of points to remember to get started:

nttCreate a DNS record for the appliance.

nttEnsure that the DNS suffix for the appliance is not in use, yet can be resolved internally.

nttEnsure any mail handler records (MX) can be leveraged to point to the Zimbra appliance if external mail needs to be received.

ntThe default configuration allows for an internal mail transfer to be used, so an application that sends email over SMTP port 25 can leverage the Zimbra appliance to send mail. Overall, this appliance is incredibly easy to get up and running.

By Rick Vanover

Rick Vanover is an IT Infrastructure Manager for Alliance Data in Columbus, Ohio. Rick's IT certifications include VMware VCP, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 MCITP, Windows Server 2003 MCSA and others. \ \ Previous experiences included working for De

Account Information

Contact Rick Vanover

Your message has been sent
|
See all of Rick's content

PURPOSE New office launches and site relocations run the range from straightforward to overly complex. For intricate, sophisticated new office deployments and larger site moves, TechRepublic Premium’s Office relocation checklist can help plan, monitor and execute such projects. From the checklist: LIST REQUIRED OF EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES Begin by creating a simple list of required ...

PURPOSE Onboarding and offboarding employees requires careful attention. Otherwise, team members may receive insufficient permissions to perform their jobs or continue to have access long after their employment’s termination. Given the stakes, the problem is even worse when managing IT staff permissions, so it’s imperative that your company adopts a system to ensure consistency. Employees, ...

PURPOSE TechRepublic Premium presents 10 tips for the Firefox open-source browser. Even if you only follow some of these, you’ll find your browser experience to be much improved. From the article: 1. USE CAUTION WITH ADD-ONS AND THEMES This is one of the first tips I always offer. I’ve seen web browsers with so many ...