We have a database server that does not have a mail system configured.
Some remote endusers have asked if they can have their reports emailed to them.

Can I use mailx without a mailserver. No Postfix/Sendmail configured on the unit.
All mail will be outgoing smtp. No incoming.
Having never used it before I cannot seem to get the syntax right.
The command I need to get working is something like:


nail -s "Requested Report" -smtp smtp.my.isp -a report.txt joe@soap.com


But everytime I run it it just hangs. No error message, nothing.
I then have to Ctrl-C twice to get back to the command line.

Distro is OpenSuse Linux 9.2 (Soon to be upgraded I hope)
Do I have to configure a .mailrc directory for every user in their home directory?
Do I have to configure Sendmail or Postfix?
I would rather avoid that if possible.
There must be a simple solution!

Casey.

Put your ISP's mail server in /etc/nail.rc:Then, to send the mail you wanted, you would write:It was waiting for you to write your message. That's why the /dev/null part is there, to tell it that there is no message. If you want to write a message, you can end it with a line beginning with <Control>-D or with a line containing only a dot (.), assuming you have set dot in your config.

Thanks Berhanie,

On this distro the config file is /etc/mail.rc where I had to add
set smtp=smtp.myisp.com
set from=my.email.address


Also using < /dev/null gave me the idea to use < /usr/local/message.body

The first test mail worked!
I will write the full implementation later in the week.

Thanks
Casey.

PS. Like all things Linux, it is only hard the first time.
You guys save us a lot of that first-time stress.