slackware 14.1 sendmail default configuartion force it to using hosts file

babbab · 05-17-2014, 08:57 AM

Hi
I'm using slack 14.1 and trying to configure sendmail to use hosts file with default configuration file sendmail.cf that came with. and I'm not running dns sever

My other laptop has static ip and added to /etc/hosts file
it seemed working then now the sendmail is not sending
when i give command

Code:

mailq

it says deferred: name server
i read sendmail manual for 8.14.7 it says I can put /etc/mail/service.switch file and put

Code:

hosts files dns

in it. but it does not seems to work. I did and restarted rc.sendmail but it still does not send mails

I also read that if /etc/nsswitch.conf is used, I think the service.switch file is ignored.

anyway how do I force sendmail to use /etc/hosts file?
or is there something I did wrong in the procedure?

tronayne · 05-17-2014, 09:34 AM

Not real sure that I completely understand the question -- sendmail does use /etc/hosts (at least on this machine, sending mail to myself (or any other user)):

Code:

fubar-trona-/home/trona: mailx trona
Subject: A Test Message
This is a test message.
EOT
fubar-trona-/home/trona: mailx
Heirloom mailx version 12.5 7/5/10.  Type ? for help.
"/var/spool/mail/trona": 1 message 1 new
>N  1 trona@fubar.lan    Sat May 17 10:23   20/688   A Test Message
? t
Message  1:
From trona@fubar.lan  Sat May 17 10:23:00 2014
Return-Path: <trona@fubar.lan>
From: trona@fubar.lan
Date: Sat, 17 May 2014 10:23:00 -0400
To: trona@fubar.lan
Subject: A Test Message
User-Agent: Heirloom mailx 12.5 7/5/10
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Status: R

This is a test message.

? d
? q
fubar-trona-/home/trona:

This machine, fubar, is fixed-IP (as are all my machines), all are in every /etc/hosts and all send mail back and forth to each other without any additional configuration (those are fubar.lan, snafu.lan, pita.lan and dufus.lan).

To the outside world, no, messages bounce because fubar.lan is not a valid DNS address; inside world, no problem.

I'm not using sendmail directly, I let mailx (or mail) handle that.

That help any?

babbab · 05-17-2014, 10:27 AM

>>Not real sure that I completely understand the question -- sendmail does use /etc/hosts (at least on this >>machine, sending mail to myself (or any other user)):

that's what I thought. and my sendmail did sent mails for while, then now simply doesn't work. so I thought maybe sendmail use name server before reading hosts file.

I force sent mails in queue by

Code:

sendmail -q

still sendmail doesn't find hosts

Code:

root@garlicbread:[/home/chano]# sendmail -q
root@garlicbread:[/home/chano]# mailq
                /var/spool/mqueue (5 requests)
-----Q-ID----- --Size-- -----Q-Time----- ------------Sender/Recipient-----------
s4GNs8PS001975*      60 Fri May 16 19:54 <chano@garlicbread.home.net>
                 (Deferred: Name server: friedrice.home.net.: host name lookup)
                                         <chano@friedrice.home.net>
s4GNhJ3M001664       36 Fri May 16 19:43 <chano@garlicbread.home.net>
                 (Deferred: Name server: friedrice.home.net.: host name lookup)
                                         <chano@friedrice.home.net>
s4GIouYp001229        2 Fri May 16 14:50 <chano@garlicbread.home.net>
                 (Deferred: Name server: friedrice.home.net.: host name lookup)
                                         <chano@friedrice.home.net>
s4GIp7VV001235    11274 Fri May 16 14:51 <chano@garlicbread.home.net>
                 (Deferred: Name server: friedrice.home.net.: host name lookup)
                                         <chano@friedrice.home.net>
s4GIhVsD001144    11274 Fri May 16 14:43 <chano@garlicbread.home.net>
                 (Deferred: Name server: friedrice.home.net.: host name lookup)
                                         <chano@friedrice.home.net>
                Total requests: 5
root@garlicbread:[/home/chano]#

so I thought maybe I configured it wrong. still makes me wonder why it doesn't work any more...

TracyTiger · 05-17-2014, 11:32 AM

If sendmail worked for you before you made configuration changes then you may want to back out of your changes to get sendmail working again. Then carefully redo the configuration changes to help narrow down what change broke sendmail.

EDIT: Don't forget to restart services/daemons to re-read configuration files.

babbab · 05-17-2014, 11:53 AM

the problem is I didn't modify sendmail.cf file. now I'm reading manual finding out new things. but no solution still.

babbab · 05-19-2014, 07:17 AM

I just notice something while giving command of sendmail -q -v

Code:

root@garlicbread:[/home/chano]# sendmail -q -v

Running /var/spool/mqueue/s4GNs8PS001975 (sequence 1 of 5)
<chano@friedrice.home.net>... Connecting to friedrice.home.net. via esmtp...
^Croot@garlicbread:[/home/chano]# ^C
root@garlicbread:[/home/chano]#

the mailer tries to send by esmtp port. both of my machines's ports 27 are closed by firewall

How do I force sendmail to use smtp port which is 25?