Fetchmail only retrieve email from the ISP and it can place it either in the IMAP store or route it to Procmail. It is configured bu going to Yast->Network Services->MTA.
Fetchmail delivers to the local MTA.
Postfix seems to both receive and send email but its exact purpose is unknown, other than it is a MTA/
You said it, it is an MTA - a thing that RECEIVES and SENDS mail - but does not STORE mail or provide ACCESS to mail.
Procmail, from my reading seems to be a glorified filter mechanism to sort email. Considering I have extensive filters customized into my current Mozilla Mail client that will be imported into Thunderbird, I hard;y think Procmail is necessary. I would assume its use is if more than a single email account's email is collected?
Personally, I don't think procmail has any use, but this is a really a theological thing.
clamav is an antivirus mechanism which will be used as Windows clients(my laptop) will be accessing the IMAP store.
Yep.
SpamAssassin is a spam combat tool and should be called into service before the antivirus.
However you want to do it, SA hammer to kill a fly, greylisting kills
98% of SPAM for us with no fuss, but your operating disconnected so you need to use something more clumsy.
So therefore the procedure would be?: 1) A cron job starts pppd and connects to my ISP. 2) Postfix sends any 'Outbox' email. 3) Fetchmail then receive all incoming mail 4) Fetchmail passes it with what to SpamAssassin 5) SpamAssassin passes the messages using ?......? to clamav to check for viruses. 6) Clamav passes the checked email to the IMAP store using ?,,,,,,?
Postfix should encapsulate both SA and CLAM, you shouldn't have to worry about them.
putting the spam into the Thunderbird Junk folder and the virus messages into the Deleted Items, leaving all messages UNREAD.
Beats me.
PLENTY more still to be done and learn, so any help appreciated. P.S: I would like to stay as much as possible with packages on the 9.2 DVD/CD's and from what I have seen I will be staying away from sendmail, unless of course it is REALLY needed.
Sendmail isn't nearly that scarry, except for ninnies that can't spell M-4. No one edits sendmail.cf.