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Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) is a comprehensive suite for email communication, calendars, and collaboration, offering businesses a flexible and scalable solution for their communication needs. Implementing Zimbra on a Virtual private server (VPS) provides organizations with control over their data while leveraging the benefits of Cloud infrastructure. This article provides a detailed guide on setting up and using Zimbra Collaboration Suite on VPS.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Before installing Zimbra, ensure that your VPS meets the following requirements:

• Modern operating system (e.g., Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or CentOS 8)
• Minimum 8 GB RAM for production deployment
• Minimum 50 GB of free disk space
• Full root access
• Properly configured DNS records (A, MX)

Installing Zimbra Collaboration Suite

1. System Update:

   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   • CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum update -y

2. Setting Hostname:

   • Change the hostname of your VPS to a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) that you will use for Zimbra: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname mail.yourdomain.com

3. DNS Setup:

   • Ensure that an A record for mail.yourdomain.com and an MX record pointing to this A record are properly set up in DNS.

4. Installing Zimbra:

   • Download the latest version of Zimbra Collaboration Suite from the Zimbra website.
   • Extract the downloaded archive and run the installation script: tar xzvf zcs-*.tgz && cd zcs-* && ./install.sh

During the installation, you will be asked several questions regarding configuration; it is recommended to use the default settings and make finer adjustments after the installation is complete.

Basic Configuration

After installation, access the Zimbra administration interface via the web at https://mail.yourdomain.com:7071. For the initial login, use the username admin and the password obtained during installation.

1. Creating User Accounts:

   • Go to "Manage" > "Accounts" and create new user accounts according to your organization's needs.

2. Domain Setup:

   • In the "Configure" > "Domains" section, you can add additional domains if you plan to use Zimbra for multiple domains.

3. SSL/TLS Configuration:

   • It is recommended to configure SSL/TLS certificates for securing communication. You can use certificates from authorities such as Let's Encrypt.

Using Email, Calendar, and Collaboration

Zimbra offers a rich set of features for email, calendar, contacts, and collaboration:

• Email: A robust email client with support for rules, filters, and integration with external accounts.
• Calendar: Shared calendars with support for invitations, events, and meetings.
• Contacts: Centrally managed contact directory with the ability to share contacts among users.
• Zimlets: Extensions that allow integration with external applications and services.

Zimbra Collaboration Suite on VPS is a powerful solution for email, calendar, and collaboration, offering organizations flexibility and control over their communication tools. With the installation and basic configuration guide, you are now ready to start using Zimbra to streamline communication in your organization.