How to Install Zimbra Mail on CentOS 7?

ZCS (Zimbra Collaboration Suite) is an open source software with two parts, first is mail server and second is website client. Zimbra was designed not only for mail but also a solution that can solve many problems, like security, chatting as well as work collaboration for large and small businesses. Zimbra is available in two editions one as Zimbra Network Edition which is a Commercial version and another as Zimbra Open Source Edition (Community supported version).

Installing the Zimbra Mail server is not a straightforward and easy process. It installs lots of packages with itself so that you can have some cool features. Therefore, you will need to configure your server in advance to prepare the ground for Zimbra. In this guide, we will see step by step installation of Zimbra Open Source Edition on CentOS 7.

Prerequisites to Install Zimbra

• To install Zimbra you will need a CentOS 7 or compatible OS.
• CPU with 4 core – 2.0 Ghz or above speed.
• Memory - Minimum 8 GB RAM (Depending on the no. of users)
• 20 GB available disk space (SSD is recommended)
• A domain name
• A cloud, VPS, or dedicated server based on your needs.
• You need to have a valid A & MX record for your domain.

Guide to Install Zimbra 8.8.15 on CentOS 7

Step-1: Login to CentOS 7 and update system packages.

• Login to your CentOS 7 Server and apply the latest updates and reboot using the following commands.
  yum update -y ; reboot

• After rebooting, set the hostname of your server eg.
  “mail.supportfly.net”
  hostnamectl set-hostname "mail.supportfly.net"
  exec bash

• Now add the following lines in /etc/hosts file,
  First Install = yum install nano -y
  [root@mail ~]# nano /etc/hosts
  xxx.xxx.xx.xx mail.supportfly.net mail

• After configuring the hostname, verify the A and MX is configured for your domain using following commands.
  [root@mail ~]# dig -t A mail.supportfly.net
  [root@mail ~]# dig -t MX supportfly.net

Step-2: Install Zimbra Dependencies

• Run the following commands to install ZCS dependencies [root@mail ~]# yum install unzip net-tools sysstat openssh-clients perl-core libaio nmap-ncat libstdc++.so.6 wget -y

Step-3: Download the Zimbra

• Create a folder with the name “zimbra”
  [root@mail ~]# mkdir zimbra && cd zimbra

• Use below given command to download the ZCS from the terminal,
  wget https://files.zimbra.com/downloads/8.8.15_GA/zimbra-downloads.tgz

Step-4: Install Zimbra / ZCS 8.8.15

• Extract the downloaded archive using the beneath command
  [root@mail zimbra]# tar zxpvf zcs-8.8.15_GA_3039.RHEL7_64.20180928094617.tgz

• Go to the extracted folder and run the install script.
  [root@mail zimbra]# cd zcs-8.8.15_GA_3039.RHEL7_64.20180928094617
  [root@mail zcs-8.8.15_GA_3039.RHEL7_64.20180928094617]# ./install.sh

• Once we run above installation script then we will get some text-based installation wizard, to Accept the license, press Y.

• Use Zimbra's package repository? [Y]

• Select the packages to install (typically, you have to select all).

• Press 7 and then 4 to set admin username and password,

***** CONFIGURATION COMPLETE - press 'a' to apply**

• Firewalld is installed by default on CentOS 7, but if not installed, you can install the package by typing: sudo yum install firewalld sudo systemctl start firewalld sudo systemctl enable firewalld [root@mail ~]# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={25,80,110,143,443,465,587,993,995,5222,5223,9071,7071}/tcp success [root@mail ~]# firewall-cmd --reload success [root@mail ~]#

Step-5: Finalizing Installation

• To access the Zimbra Admin Portal, type https://mail.supportfly.net:7071/ in Web Browser.
• To access Zimbra Mail Web Client, type https://mail.supportfly.net.com in the web browser.
• Now, enter your Username and Password.

Step-6: Troubleshooting Zimbra Services and Logs

Sometimes Zimbra services might be stopped, to find Zimbra services status from command line, run the following command,
[root@mail ~]# su - zimbra
Last login: Sun Dec 7 14:59:48 IST 2023 on pts/0
[zimbra@mail ~]$ zmcontrol status
Host mail.supportfly.net

   ** amavis                  Running
    antispam                Running
    antivirus               Running
    dnscache                Running
    imapd                   Running
    ldap                    Running
    logger                  Running
    mailbox                 Running
    memcached               Running
    mta                     Running
    opendkim                Running
    proxy                   Running
    service webapp          Running
    snmp                    Running
    spell                   Running
    stats                   Running
    zimbra webapp           Running
    zimbraAdmin webapp      Running
    zimlet webapp           Running
    zmconfigd               Running

[zimbra@mail ~]$**

• To restart the Zimbra Services use the following command lines,
  [zimbra@mail ~]$ zmcontrol restart
  Host mail.supportfly.net

  **Stopping zmconfigd...Done.
  Stopping imapd...Done.
  Stopping zimlet webapp...Done.
  Stopping zimbraAdmin webapp...Done.
  Stopping zimbra webapp...Done.
  Stopping service webapp...Done.
  Stopping stats...Done.
  Stopping mta...Done.
  Stopping spell...Done.
  Stopping snmp...Done.
  Stopping cbpolicyd...Done.
  Stopping archiving...Done.
  Stopping opendkim...Done.
  Stopping amavis...Done.
  Stopping antivirus...Done.
  Stopping antispam...Done.
  Stopping proxy...Done.
  Stopping memcached...Done.
  Stopping mailbox...Done.
  Stopping logger...Done.
  Stopping dnscache...Done.
  Stopping ldap...Done.
  

  Host mail.supportfly.net
  Starting ldap...Done.
  Starting zmconfigd...Done.
  Starting dnscache...Done.
  Starting logger...Done.
  Starting mailbox...Done.
  Starting memcached...Done.
  Starting proxy...Done.
  Starting amavis...Done.
  Starting antispam...Done.
  Starting antivirus...Done.
  Starting opendkim...Done.
  Starting snmp...Done.
  Starting spell...Done.
  Starting mta...Done.
  Starting stats...Done.
  Starting service webapp...Done.
  Starting zimbra webapp...Done.
  Starting zimbraAdmin webapp...Done.
  Starting zimlet webapp...Done.
  Starting imapd...Done.
  [zimbra@mail ~]$**

Troubleshooting Tips

• If you encounter issues, check the Zimbra log files in /var/log/zimbra.log and /opt/zimbra/log/.All the log files for Zimbra server are kept here.
• The Zimbra community forums are good resources for troubleshooting common problems.

Conclusion

In this tutorial we have explained the step-by-step process of installing Zimbra Mail Server on CentOS 7. Nevertheless, Installing Zimbra Mail Server might be a frustrating task for you, But you need not to worry. You can leave it all to us. If you have any doubts you can contact us without any hesitation. Our Zimbra Mail Experts will surely help you.

We are not only one of the Most Trusted Server Management Companies globally but also at SupportFly we provide premier Zimbra Mail Server Management Services. Our Zimbra Mail Server Management service covers a wide range of essential aspects to optimize the performance and reliability of your email infrastructure. Let us take care of the technical complexities, allowing you to focus on your core business operations. We manage the configuration of your Zimbra mail server, ensuring it is set up correctly and ready to use.

SupportFly has an Zimbra mail expert team and certified admins who are available 24×7 to provide business solutions and support they need. We deliver our services with full commitment and complete data security.

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