diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'usr.sbin/sendmail/FAQ')
| -rw-r--r-- | usr.sbin/sendmail/FAQ | 343 |
1 files changed, 343 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/usr.sbin/sendmail/FAQ b/usr.sbin/sendmail/FAQ new file mode 100644 index 0000000..743dc36 --- /dev/null +++ b/usr.sbin/sendmail/FAQ @@ -0,0 +1,343 @@ + Sendmail Version 8 + Frequently Asked Questions + Version 8.4 of 4/20/94 + + +This FAQ is specific to Version 8 of sendmail. Other questions, +particularly regarding compilation and configuration, are answered +in src/READ_ME and cf/README. + +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * Where can I get Version 8? + + Via anonymous FTP from FTP.CS.Berkeley.EDU in /ucb/sendmail. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * What are the differences between Version 8 and other versions? + + See doc/changes/changes.me in the sendmail distribution. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * What happened to sendmail 6.x and 7.x? + + When I released a new version of sendmail, I changed it to + Release 6. Development continued in that tree until 4.4BSD + was released, when everything on the 4.4 tape was set to be + version 8.1. Version 7.x never existed. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * Version 8 requires a new version of "make". Where can I get this? + + Actually, Version 8 does not require a new version of "make". + It includes a collection of Makefiles for different architectures, + only one or two of which require the new "make". If you are + porting to a new architecture, start with Makefile.dist. + + If you really do want the new make, it is available on any of + the BSD Net2 or 4.4-Lite distribution sites. These include: + + ftp.uu.net /systems/unix/bsd-sources + gatekeeper.dec.com /.0/BSD/net2 + ucquais.cba.uc.edu /pub/net2 + ftp.luth.se /pub/unix/4.3bsd/net2 + + Diffs and instructions for building this version of make under + SunOS 4.1.x are available on ftp.css.itd.umich.edu in + /pub/systems/sun/Net2-make.sun4.diff.Z. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * What macro package do I use to format the V8 man pages? + + The BSD group switched over the the ``mandoc'' macros for + the 4.4 release. These include more hooks designed for + hypertext handling. However, new man pages won't format + under the old man macros. Fortunately, old man pages will + format under the new mandoc macros. + + Get the new macros with the BSD Net2 or 4.4-Lite release. + + This macro set is also available with newer versions of groff. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * What books are available describing sendmail? + + There is one book available devoted to sendmail: + + Costales, Allman, and Rickert, _Sendmail_. O'Reilly & + Associates. + + Several books have sendmail chapters, for example: + + Nemeth, Snyder, and Seebass, _Unix System Administration + Handbook_. Prentice-Hall. + Carl-Mitchell and Quarterman, _Practical Internetworking with + TCP/IP and UNIX_. Addison-Wesley. + Hunt, _TCP/IP Network Administration_. O'Reilly & Associates. + + Another book about sendmail is due out "soon": + + Avolio & Vixie, _Sendmail Theory and Practice_. Digital + Press (release date unknown). +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * How do I make all my addresses appear to be from a single host? + + Using the V8 configuration macros, use: + + MASQUERADE_AS(my.dom.ain) + + This will cause all addresses to be sent out as being from + the indicated domain. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * How do I rewrite my From: lines to read ``First_Last@My.Domain''? + + There are a couple of ways of doing this. This describes using + the "user database" code. This is still experimental, and was + intended for a different purpose -- however, it does work + with a bit of care. It does require that you have the Berkeley + "db" package installed (it won't work with DBM). + + First, create your input file. This should have lines like: + + loginname:mailname First_Last + First_Last:maildrop loginname + + Install it in (say) /etc/userdb. Create the database: + + makemap btree /etc/userdb.db < /etc/userdb + + You can then create a config file that uses this. You will + have to include the following in your .mc file: + + define(confUSERDB_SPEC, /etc/userdb.db) + FEATURE(notsticky) +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * So what was the user database feature intended for? + + The intent was to have all information for a given user (where + the user is the unique login name, not an inherently non-unique + full name) in one place. This would include phone numbers, + addresses, and so forth. The "maildrop" feature is because + Berkeley does not use a centralized mail server (there are a + number of reasons for this that are mostly historic), and so + we need to know where each user gets his or her mail delivered -- + i.e., the mail drop. + + We are in the process of setting up our environment so that + mail sent to an unqualified "name" goes to that person's + preferred maildrop; mail sent to "name@host" goes to that + host. The purpose of "FEATURE(notsticky)" is to cause + "name@host" to be looked up in the user database for delivery + to the maildrop. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * Why are you so hostile to using full names for e-mail addresses? + + Because full names are not unique. For example, the computer + community has two Andy Tannenbaums and two Peter Deutsches. + At one time, Bell Labs had two Stephen R. Bournes with offices + a few doors apart. You can create alternative addresses + (e.g., Stephen_R_Bourne_2), but that's even worse -- which + one of them has to have their name desecrated in this way? + And you can bet that they will get most of the other person's + email. + + So called "full names" are just longer versions of unique + names. Rather that lulling people into a sense of security, + I'd rather that it be clear that these handles are arbitrary. + People should use good user agents that have alias mappings + so that they can attach arbitrary names for their personal + use to those with whom they correspond. + + Even worse is fuzzy matching in e-mail -- this can make good + addresses turn bad. For example, I'm currently (to the best + of my knowledge) the only ``Allman'' at Berkeley, so mail + sent to "Allman@Berkeley.EDU" should get to me. But if + another Allman ever appears, this address could suddenly + become ambiguous. I've been the only Allman at Berkeley for + over fifteen years -- to suddenly have this "good address" + bounce mail because it is ambiguous would be a heinous wrong. + + Finger services should be as fuzzy as possible. Mail services + should be unique. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * When I use sendmail V8 with a Sun config file I get lines like: + + /etc/sendmail.cf: line 273: replacement $3 out of bounds + + the line in question reads: + + R$*<@$%y>$* $1<@$2.LOCAL>$3 user@ether + + what does this mean? How do I fix it? + + V8 doesn't recognize the Sun "$%y" syntax, so as far as it + is concerned, there is only a $1 and a $2 (but no $3) in this + line. Read Rick McCarty's paper on "Converting Standard Sun + Config Files to Sendmail Version 8", in the contrib directory + (file "converting.sun.configs") on the sendmail distribution + for a full discussion of how to do this. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * Should I use a wildcard MX for my domain? + + If at all possible, no. + + Wildcard MX records have lots of semantic "gotcha"s. For + example, they will match a host "unknown.your.domain" -- if + you don't explicitly test for unknown hosts in your domain, + you will get "config error: mail loops back to myself" + errors. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * I'm connected to the network via a SLIP link. Sometimes my sendmail + process hangs (although it looks like part of the message has been + transfered). Everything else works. What's wrong? + + Most likely, the problem isn't sendmail at all, but the low + level network connection. It's important that the MTU (Maximum + Transfer Unit) for the SLIP connection be set properly at both + ends. If they disagree, large packets will be trashed and + the connection will hang. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * I just upgraded to 8.x and suddenly I'm getting messages in my + syslog of the form "collect: I/O error on connection". What is + going wrong? + + Nothing. This is just a diagnosis of a condition that had + not been diagnosed before. If you are getting a lot of these + from a single host, there is probably some incompatibility + between 8.x and that host. If you get a lot of them in general, + you may have network problems that are causing connections to + get reset. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * How can I get sendmail to deliver local mail to $HOME/.mail + instead of into /usr/spool/mail (or /usr/mail)? + + This is a local mailer issue, not a sendmail issue. Either + modify your local mailer (source code will be required) or + change the program called in the "local" mailer configuration + description to be a new program that does this local delivery. + I understand that "procmail" works well, although I haven't + used it myself. + + You might be interested in reading the paper ``HLFSD: Delivering + Email to your $HOME'' available in the Proceedings of the + USENIX System Administration (LISA VII) Conference (November + 1993). This is also available via public FTP from + ftp.cs.columbia.edu:/pub/hlfsd/{README.hlfsd,hlfsd.ps}. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * Under V8, the "From " header gets mysteriously munged when I send + to an alias. + + ``It's not a bug, it's a feature.'' This happens when you have + a "owner-list" alias and you send to "list". V8 propogates the + owner information into the envelope sender field (which appears + as the "From " header on UNIX mail or as the Return-Path: header) + so that downstream errors are properly returned to the mailing + list owner instead of to the sender. In order to make this + appear as sensible as possible to end users, I recommend making + the owner point to a "request" address -- for example: + + list: :include:/path/name/list.list + owner-list: list-request + list-request: eric + + This will make message sent to "list" come out as being + "From list-request" instead of "From eric". +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * There are four UUCP mailers listed in the configuration files. + Which one should I use? + + The choice is partly a matter of local preferences and what is + running at the other end of your UUCP connection. Unlike good + protocols that define what will go over the wire, UUCP uses + the policy that you should do what is right for the other end; + if they change, you have to change. This makes it hard to + do the right thing, and discourages people from updating their + software. In general, if you can avoid UUCP, please do. + + If you can't avoid it, you'll have to find the version that is + closest to what the other end accepts. Following is a summary + of the UUCP mailers available. + + uucp-old (obsolete name: "uucp") + This is the oldest, the worst (but the closest to UUCP) way of + sending messages accros UUCP connections. It does bangify + everything and prepends $U (your UUCP name) to the sender's + address (which can already be a bang path itself). It can + only send to one address at a time, so it spends a lot of + time copying duplicates of messages. Avoid this if at all + possible. + + uucp-new (obsolete name: "suucp") + The same as above, except that it assumes that in one rmail + command you can specify several recipients. It still has a + lot of other problems. + + uucp-dom + This UUCP mailer keeps everything as domain addresses. + Basically, it uses the SMTP mailer rewriting rules. + + Unfortunately, a lot of UUCP mailer transport agents require + bangified addresses in the envelope, although you can use + domain-based addresses in the message header. (The envelope + shows up as the From_ line on UNIX mail.) So.... + + uucp-uudom + This is a cross between uucp-new (for the envelope addresses) + and uucp-dom (for the header addresses). It bangifies the + envelope sender (From_ line in messages) without adding the + local hostname, unless there is no host name on the address + at all (e.g., "wolf") or the host component is a UUCP host name + instead of a domain name ("somehost!wolf" instead of + "some.dom.ain!wolf"). + + Examples: + + We are on host grasp.insa-lyon.fr (UUCP host name "grasp"). The + following summarizes the sender rewriting for various mailers. + + Mailer sender rewriting in the envelope + ------ ------ ------------------------- + uucp-{old,new} wolf grasp!wolf + uucp-dom wolf wolf@grasp.insa-lyon.fr + uucp-uudom wolf grasp.insa-lyon.fr!wolf + + uucp-{old,new} wolf@fr.net grasp!fr.net!wolf + uucp-dom wolf@fr.net wolf@fr.net + uucp-uudom wolf@fr.net fr.net!wolf + + uucp-{old,new} somehost!wolf grasp!somehost!wolf + uucp-dom somehost!wolf somehost!wolf@grasp.insa-lyon.fr + uucp-uudom somehost!wolf grasp.insa-lyon.fr!somehost!wolf +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * I'm trying to to get my mail to go into queue only mode, and it + delivers the mail interactively anyway. (Or, I'm trying to use + the "don't deliver to expensive mailer" flag, and it doesn't + delivers the mail interactively anyway.) I can see it does it: + here's the output of "sendmail -v foo@somehost" (or Mail -v or + equivalent). + + The -v flag to sendmail (which is implied by the -v flag to + Mail and other programs in that family) tells sendmail to + watch the transaction. Since you have explicitly asked to + see what's going on, it assumes that you do not want to to + auto-queue, and turns that feature off. Remove the -v flag + and use a "tail -f" of the log instead to see what's going on. + + If you are trying to use the "don't deliver to expensive mailer" + flag (mailer flag "e"), be sure you also turn on global option + "c" -- otherwise it ignores the mailer flag. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * I'm getting "Local configuration error" messages, such as: + + 553 relay.domain.net config error: mail loops back to myself + 554 <user@domain.net>... Local configuration error + + How can I solve this problem? + + You have asked mail to the domain (e.g., domain.net) to be + forwarded to a specific host (in this case, relay.domain.net) + by using an MX record, but the relay machine doesn't recognize + itself as domain.net. Add domain.net to /etc/sendmail.cw + (if you are using FEATURE(use_cw_file)) or add "Cw domain.net" + to your configuration file. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- + * I want to run Sendmail version 8 on my DEC system, but you don't + have MAIL11V3 support in sendmail. How do I handle this? + + Get Paul Vixie's reimplementation of the mail11 protocol + from gatekeeper.dec.com in /pub/DEC/gwtools. +---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
