Help! There must be an easier way to get all this going...

Currently, the Cyrus project only distributes Cyrus IMAPd and Cyrus SASL as source code. If you prefer not to work directly with the source distribution - you don't have the time to learn it, find it too difficult, or it's otherwise unsuitable - there are a few other options.

There are a number of projects outside the main Cyrus project that provide easy-to-install packages of the Cyrus software. Additionally, there are a fair few commercial software packages that include the Cyrus software as a component. Our installation guide page lists these.

Most people active on the info-cyrus mailing list appear to use the source distribution, so more people are likely to be familiar with that than any vendor-specific custom versions.

Additionally, it can be easier to upgrade to the latest version if you're using the source packages.

Finally: you learn more! In the end, the best way to get Cyrus depends on what your specific needs are.