Well, I tried. I love the features in Xeams but it is too unstable running on the same box as the email server. I finally got everything working and what it does is cause the email server to just stop taking connections. It basically shuts down the email server after 2-5 minutes online. The only way to get it back is to restart the email service. There are no reported errors in any logs or event manager. I have nothing to go on. If I simply change the SMTP port back to 25 on the email server everything works normally again.

I was using Xeams as an SMTP proxy only to filter incoming emails accepting connection on port 2525 from the email server. System is Windows 2012 R2. Now if it was just a connection issue I would suspect a firewall or maybe a NIC issue, but that is not the case since restarting the email server reestablishes the link. The email service stays running without any errors, it just cuts off all connections. I can no longer get to it locally or remotely. All email ports go dead. Running the email server without Xeams works fine.

Now I have Xeams running at another location where it runs on its own box and that seems to work fine. Been online for 6 months now without a hiccup. Of course it is connecting to an Exchange server and the local box is using SmarterMail.

I am resistant in buying Xeams support fearing they would lay the blame on the email server and I already spoke to SmarterTools and they blame Xeams stating that Xeams is closing the connections. I have been in the finger pointing game before and it always ends up in both parties giving up.

Even though this forum has few answers on any issues, if anyone has any suggestions, I am willing to give it a go. Thanks

I finally realized that you must run the SMTP server as well when teamed with SmarterMail. Running the SMTP Proxy only does not work. Xeams works now. Next challenge is ClamAV.

Another issue that I was having is the email servers abuse detection was shooting me in the foot because when it blacklisted any abusers IP, it was the Xeams IP that got blacklisted. When you use Xeams, you have to literally disable all spam and abuse detection from the email server for incoming activity because all incoming to the email server actually comes from Xeams, and if you whitelist the Xeams IP, then you become an open relay.

So, since Xeams doesn't handle all types of abuse or IDS, you have to build such detections in a firewall. I use pfsense firewall.

My recommendation is a three step system for incoming email.

1. Block abuse at the firewall such as DDOS or brute force attacks and country blocking

2. Block Spam at Xeams

3. Deliver mail to the email server.

Comments or suggestions anyone?

You need to burn clamav to the ground with purge option if you use Linux. Get it all, freshclam, clamd, clamav. Then install it and config for daemon mode. The version installed on the Xeams VM chokes on IPV6 bugs and never updates. I removed and installed and all is well. Now on to the other fun bugs like user null errors.