Featured resource
2025 Tech Upskilling Playbook
Tech Upskilling Playbook

Build future-ready tech teams and hit key business milestones with seven proven plays from industry leaders.

Check it out
  • Lab
    • Libraries: If you want this lab, consider one of these libraries.
    • Cloud
Google Cloud Platform icon
Labs

Email Services: Configuring Postfix

Configuring `postfix` is a relatively simple task that will cause email systems to fail if done incorrectly. In this hands-on lab, you’ll be able to practice that configuration and test it in a controlled environment.

Google Cloud Platform icon
Lab platform
Lab Info
Level
Beginner
Last updated
Sep 22, 2025
Duration
10m

Contact sales

By filling out this form and clicking submit, you acknowledge our privacy policy.
Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Configure the hostname and domain
    1. First, we should check out what our hostname and domain are:
    hostnamectl
    
    1. With that information recorded in our notes we can elevate to root and verify postfix is installed:
    sudo -i
    rpm -q postfix
    
    1. Now we can configure postfix:
    sudo vim /etc/postfix/main.cf
    
    1. Scroll down until we find the myhostname variable. We can set that to “server1.example.com”.

    2. Set the mydomain variable to “example.com”

    3. Search for the mail_spool_directory variable and uncomment the one that says “/var/mail”

    4. Save and quit, then restart postfix.

    sudo systemctl restart postfix
    
  2. Challenge

    Send a test email to cloud_user

    This task requires understanding how email servers communicate.

    1. Enter in the following commands in order to send the email:
      1. telnet localhost 25
        
      2. ehlo localhost
        
      3. mail from: [email protected]
        
      4. rcpt to: cloud_user
        
      5. data
        
      6. Subject: Test email
        
      7. test
        
      8. To close out of composing the message, place a . on a new line and press return. Then use: Ctrl + ] and press return Then type: close and press return

      9. Check to see that the e-mail sent:

    sudo tail /var/log/maillog
    

    Look for the current data, and then confirmation that an e-mail was received.

    1. Change to the mail directory:
    cd /var/mail/
    
About the author

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

Real skill practice before real-world application

Hands-on Labs are real environments created by industry experts to help you learn. These environments help you gain knowledge and experience, practice without compromising your system, test without risk, destroy without fear, and let you learn from your mistakes. Hands-on Labs: practice your skills before delivering in the real world.

Learn by doing

Engage hands-on with the tools and technologies you’re learning. You pick the skill, we provide the credentials and environment.

Follow your guide

All labs have detailed instructions and objectives, guiding you through the learning process and ensuring you understand every step.

Turn time into mastery

On average, you retain 75% more of your learning if you take time to practice. Hands-on labs set you up for success to make those skills stick.

Get started with Pluralsight