How do I set up a basic mail server for the first time? [closed]

Solution 1:

The steps:

1. Get the DNS for mydomain.com updated to point the MX record/s to your server;
2. Install the MTA of your choice (I recommend postfix, of course);
3. Configure the MTA to receive mail from mydomain.com and deliver to local mailbox/es;
4. Install the MDA of your choice (I recommend dovecot, of course);
5. Configure the MDA for POP/IMAP access;
6. Set up your MUA to retrieve/synchronize the mail.

Simple, right? ;)

Solution 2:

While its meant for debian based systems (swap apt for yum) http://flurdy.com/docs/postfix/ is a really good, step by step guide to setting up a complete mail server