Email Server
Completion Report
A complete summary of the server configuration, domain authentication, email security, SMTP troubleshooting, and successful Gmail delivery verification for BikerBob.com.
The BikerBob.com email account is operational. Incoming email was verified, and outgoing email was successfully received by Gmail through SMTP2GO.
Email Server Configuration
Configured the email hosting environment on the existing Hivelocity VPS running Rocky Linux and Virtualmin.
The following services were configured and verified:
- Postfix: SMTP mail delivery and outgoing relay.
- Dovecot: Secure IMAP mailbox access.
- Virtualmin: Domain and email account management.
- OpenDKIM: Digital signing of outgoing email.
The mailbox [email protected] was created and verified to receive incoming email.
Domain and DNS Configuration
Configured the required GoDaddy DNS records to connect BikerBob.com to its mail server and support authenticated delivery.
| DNS Record | Purpose |
|---|---|
| A | Points mail.bikerbob.com to the mail server. |
| MX | Routes incoming domain email. |
| SPF | Publishes authorized sending infrastructure. |
| DKIM | Supports digital email authentication. |
| DMARC | Defines authentication and handling policies. |
| SMTP2GO CNAME | Supports verified relay domain configuration. |
SMTP2GO domain verification records were successfully verified.
SSL Certificate and Email Security
Installed and verified a trusted Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for mail.bikerbob.com.
- Encrypted incoming IMAP on port 993.
- Encrypted SMTP submission on port 587.
- Encrypted SMTP2GO relay communication.
- Verified certificate usage by mail services.
- Configured and tested automatic certificate renewal.
Postfix, Dovecot, and OpenDKIM were verified as active services.
Hosting Provider SMTP Restriction
Initial outgoing email testing revealed that the VPS could not connect directly to Gmail mail servers using SMTP port 25.
Hivelocity confirmed that outbound port 25 was restricted on the current VPS plan.
Rather than upgrading to a dedicated server, SMTP2GO was selected as the authenticated outgoing mail relay.
SMTP2GO Integration
Configured SMTP2GO to deliver outgoing messages securely through port 587.
- Created and activated the SMTP2GO account.
- Verified the bikerbob.com sending domain.
- Configured required DNS verification records.
- Created an authenticated SMTP user.
- Verified port 587 connectivity.
- Backed up the Postfix configuration.
- Configured protected SMTP credentials.
- Enabled required TLS encryption.
- Validated and reloaded Postfix.
Troubleshooting and Delivery Testing
Performed detailed server-side diagnostics and delivery verification.
- Verified Postfix and Dovecot services.
- Tested SMTP network connectivity.
- Inspected configuration and mail logs.
- Reviewed mail queues and delivery failures.
- Verified DKIM signing.
- Identified outbound port 25 restrictions.
- Retried the original Gmail test message.
- Confirmed SMTP2GO accepted the message.
- Confirmed Gmail received the message.
- Verified the mail queue was empty.
Protection of Existing Hosting Services
The email configuration was completed using the existing VPS infrastructure.
No server replacement, operating system reinstallation, or dedicated server upgrade was required.
No intentional configuration changes were made to the existing Nginx, Docker, or live streaming services.
Email Account Access and Settings
The mailbox supports standard IMAP email clients including Thunderbird and Outlook.
| Setting | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Email Address | [email protected] |
| Username | [email protected] |
| Incoming Server | mail.bikerbob.com |
| Incoming Protocol | IMAP |
| Incoming Port | 993 |
| Incoming Security | SSL/TLS |
| Outgoing Server | mail.bikerbob.com |
| Outgoing Port | 587 |
| Outgoing Security | STARTTLS |
| SMTP Authentication | Required |
| Password | Provided separately |
The mailbox password is separate from the private SMTP2GO relay credentials.
Project Completion Checklist
| Completed Work | Status |
|---|---|
| Email server configured | COMPLETE |
| Mailbox created | COMPLETE |
| DNS configured | COMPLETE |
| Incoming email tested | PASSED |
| SSL/TLS configured | COMPLETE |
| DKIM signing verified | PASSED |
| SMTP2GO domain verified | PASSED |
| Authenticated relay configured | COMPLETE |
| Gmail delivery tested | PASSED |
| Mail queue cleared | PASSED |
Optional Follow-Up
Request a reverse DNS (PTR) update from Hivelocity to mail.bikerbob.com. This is recommended but is not required for the tested SMTP2GO relay.
Final Project Summary
BikerBob.com now has a functioning email system using its existing Hivelocity VPS, Virtualmin, Postfix, Dovecot, OpenDKIM, and SMTP2GO.
The project included Linux server administration, DNS configuration, SSL certificate setup, email authentication, SMTP troubleshooting, relay integration, and successful end-to-end delivery testing.
The outgoing email delivery problem was resolved without requiring a dedicated server upgrade.
Final Status: EMAIL SYSTEM OPERATIONAL AND TESTED