Instead of using a local mail server, you can integrate Plesk with a
remote SmarterMail server. This enables your customers to send and
receive mail, although with a number of limitations, listed below. You
can use a single SmarterMail server as a centralized mail server used by
multiple Plesk installations.
Note: Remote SmarterMail support is a premium Plesk feature, and requires
the purchase of the Power
Pack or the
Hosting
Pack.
Important Information and Limitations:
- Only SmarterMail 15 and later versions are supported.
- Mail data from a remote SmarterMail server is not included in Plesk
backups. You must put a backup/restore scheme in place manually - for
example, following the practices recommended by SmarterTools. - After switching to a remote SmarterMail server, some mail-related
functionality and settings, such as spam filtering, antivirus,
autoresponders, or black/white lists can no longer be managed from
Plesk and must be configured on the SmarterMail side. Note that the
functionality is not lost - just replaced by the SmarterMail
counterparts.
Warning: Switching to a different mail server is only recommended on fresh
Plesk installations. On servers already used to host live customer
accounts, switching to a different mail server is not recommended and
will result in the loss of mail settings and data. If you must change
the mail server on a live Plesk installation, we recommend notifying
your customers in advance and advising them to save their mail (you
will not be able to restore mail from Plesk backups after the mail
server change).
To Switch to a Remote SmarterMail Server:
-
Go to Tools&Settings and click Server Components. Find the
“Mail Server” section and click Remote SmarterMail Server (not
configured). -
Type in the necessary information about the remote SmarterMail server
- its hostname, port, and administrator login and password. The
hostname must resolve correctly, and the port must be accessible from
the Plesk server (you must make the necessary changes to the firewall
settings manually). -
(Optional) For additional security, you can enable the following
options:-
Use HTTPS protocol allows only secure connections to the
remote SmarterMail server. -
Check SSL certificate when HTTPS protocol is used forces the
mail server certificate validity check.
Note that to use these options, you must manually configure the
remote SmarterMail server to use HTTPS following the instructions
here
and
here. -
Use HTTPS protocol allows only secure connections to the
-
Click Ok. If a connection to the remote SmarterMail server could
be established, it will appear in the list of available mail servers. -
To complete the mail server change, click Mail Server, select the
“Remote SmarterMail Server” option from the list, and click Ok. -
To ensure that the DNS records of hosted domains point to the remote
SmarterMail server, update the MX records in Plesk DNS template
accordingly, following the instructions found here. -
(Optional) To enable your customers to access the SmarterMail webmail
from Plesk, click Mail Server, select Remote SmarterMail Web
Client under “Webmail”, type or paste the SmarterMail webmail URL
into the Login page URL field, and click Ok.
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