Linux box (Debian) not sending e-mail

eysikal · 09-18-2007, 03:38 PM

First of all, I know next to nothing about linux/unix. I have a PHP script that runs on this Debian Linux server that doesn't seem to be able to send e-mail.

my script looks something like this:

PHP Code:


			
<?php

    if(mail("email@email.com", "test", "test")){

        echo("success")

    } else {

          echo("failure");

      }

?>

The script runs and echoes out "success." Yet I do not receive any e-mail. I tested the script on a known-to-work environment, and the e-mail sends just fine.

I've tried specifying the "sendmail" path in PHP.ini, but this didn't seem to make a difference, and I also noticed that I have more than one "sendmail" file on the debian box.

Any idea on how to troubleshoot this?

AlucardZero · 09-18-2007, 05:00 PM

send a mail and look at the end of /var/log/syslog. Also try running a sendmail command yourself.

eysikal · 09-18-2007, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

send a mail and look at the end of /var/log/syslog. Also try running a sendmail command yourself.

Thanks for the idea. I've tried sending a mail and then looking at the log...doesn't appear to be updating as I send one. I do see entries like the following:

Sep 18 06:23:01 tannerlab /USR/SBIN/CRON[4169]: (mail) CMD ( if [ -x /usr/sbin/exim -a -f /etc/exim/exim.conf ]; then /usr/sbin/exim -q ; fi)

I tried a sendmail command, but I'm not familiar enough with the syntax to get it right.

at the prompt I typed:

sendmail myemailaddress@gmail.com

I was then prompted with a blinking cursor that allows me to type anything I wish and hit enter with no apparent result.

Where do I go from here? Sorry, I am a total linux noobie.

AlucardZero · 09-18-2007, 06:02 PM

well. I meant to type /var/log/mail.log.

After you type things, try a period on a line by itself. Though I haven't actually used sendmail..

eysikal · 09-18-2007, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

well. I meant to type /var/log/mail.log.

After you type things, try a period on a line by itself. Though I haven't actually used sendmail..

Ok. Well, I checked the mail log and I can find no new entries....hmmm. Any ideas? (Oh yeah, the period by itself worked)

Bernard Swiss · 09-18-2007, 11:59 PM

OK, I don't know much about this, (I'm happy enough with Thunderbird, and mutt for when I'm forced to read system-generated messages about failed cron jobs, etc) but some things come to mind.

First of all, I believe that Debian (default) uses exim, rather than sendmail.

Second, how did you configure your mail when installing Debian? There's about 5 different standard options during the install, ranging from no mail handling at all to serving/hosting your own.

You can rerun the email confiuration routine with
# dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config

The debian install manual has a section that covers this.
8.5. Setting Up Your System To Use E-Mail
http://www.debian.org/releases/stabl...h08s05.html.en

Hope this helps.