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<!-- retain these comments for translator revision tracking -->
<!-- $Id$ -->

 <sect2 id="base-config-mta">
 <title>Configuring Your Mail Transport Agent</title>

<para>

Today, email is a very important part of many people's life, so it's
no surprise Debian lets you configure your mail system right as a part
of the installation process. The standard mail transport agent in
Debian is <command>exim4</command>, which is relatively small,
flexible, and easy to learn.

</para><para>

You may ask if this is needed even if your computer is not connected
to any network. The short answer is: Yes. The longer explanation: Some
system utilities (like <command>cron</command>,
<command>quota</command>, <command>aide</command>, &hellip;) may send
you important notices via email.

</para><para>

So on the first screen you will be presented with several common mail
scenarios. Choose the one that most closely resembles your needs:

</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>internet site</term>
<listitem><para>

Your system is connected to a network and your mail is sent and
received directly using SMTP. On the following screens you will be
asked a few basic questions, like your machine's mail name, or a list of
domains for which you accept or relay mail.

</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>mail sent by smarthost</term>
<listitem><para>

In this scenario is your outgoing mail forwarded to another machine,
called a <quote>smarthost</quote>, which does the actual job for
you. Smarthost also usually stores incoming mail addressed to your
computer, so you don't need to be permanently online. That also means
you have to download your mail from the smarthost via programs like
fetchmail. This option is suitable for dial-up users.

</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>local delivery only</term>
<listitem><para>

Your system is not on a network and mail is sent or received only
between local users. Even if you don't plan to send any messages, this
option is highly recommended, because some system utilities may send
you various alerts from time to time (e.g. beloved <quote>Disk quota
exceeded</quote>). This option is also convenient for new users,
because it doesn't ask any further questions.

</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term>no configuration at this time</term>
<listitem><para>

Choose this if you are absolutely convinced you know what you are
doing. This will leave you with an unconfigured mail system &mdash;
until you configure it, you won't be able to send or receive any mail
and you may miss some important messages from your system utilities.

</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

<para>

If none of these scenarios suits your needs, or if you need a finer
setup, you will need to edit configuration files under the
<filename>/etc/exim4</filename> directory after the installation is
complete. More information about <command>exim4</command> may be found
under <filename>/usr/share/doc/exim4</filename>.

</para>
 </sect2>