I have postfix-1.1.11-5 running on Redhat 8.0. So far I only make modification to the /etc/postfix/main.cf. After the configuration, I still can't send and receive mail even within my localhost. I also check the SMTP and POP3 port, and both are currently listening on port 25 and 110. Is there another process I didn't do?

2 things that will probalby help and give others a little more info to help you. ..

What happens when you do tha following:

telnet localhost 25

telnet localhost 110

will tell not only if they are listening, but if they are somehow access restricted.

Also, what sort of changes did you make to main.cf?

Here is the message from the log /var/log/maillog:

fatal: open database /etc/postfix/transport.db: No such file or directory
warning: process /usr/libexec/postfix/smtpd pid 7397 exit status 1
warning: /usr/libexec/postfix/smtpd: bad command startup -- throttling

I tried telnet
>telnet localhost 25
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.

>telnet localhost 110
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
+OK POP3 mailserv v2001.78rh server ready

Here is the modification /etc/postfix/main.cf:
myhostname = mail.mydomain.com
mydomain = mydomain.com
myorigin = $mydomain
inet_interfaces = all
mydestination = $mydomain, $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain
mynetworks = myservIP/28, 127.0.0.0/8
relay_domains = $mydestination
relayhosts = $mydomain
local_recipient_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/transport
alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/aliases
notify_classes = resource, software, bounce, policy

If anyone need any more info, please reply to this post. Thanks.

Yep. You have to convert the /etc/postfix/transport file into an transport.db file... for most the files that is done using:

postmap

for the aliases file you should use:

newaliases

Then you can try starting postfix.

HTH,

gboutwel, I'm a linux newbie. How do I convert the file? I tried the following command:
cp transport trnsport.db and
postfix reload

does't work so I tried this:
newaliases transport.db
got error: fatal: alias initialization mode requires no recipient

What exactly should I do?

Exactly

postmap transport
newaliases
postfix reload

That should do it.

I tried:
postmap transport
newaliases
postfix reload

now I see it create transport.db

Now I can send and receive. Thanks so much for your help. Another problem is that all mails received is in the postfix mailbox. How can I specify to randomuser@mydomain.com? I'm in the process of keep finding in the document.

Not sure there. You're starting to get past my capabilities with postifx. That, and when I got postfix working it just put randomuser@mydomain's mail into randomuser's unix mail box. I was using Mandrake 9.0.

Maybe someone else will pipe in and solve that one for you if not. Post a new thread (might have better chance for answers in Networking forum).

HTH,

Thanks for everything, gboutwel. You are very helpful. If you need me to rate for you anytime, just let me know.

Routing to the users is what the alias file is for. It has comments that describe how it works. However incoming mail should automagically route to the user name, if the address "randomuser" is an actual login ID for your system. If not, then the alias file should have a line telling the server which user to send mail for "randomuser" to.

This is how "postmaster" and "webmaster" get interpreted.

I just spent three days trying to get my server to send mail out to the world. Turned out that I had a "relayhost" line in the main.cf file, and the server it referred to wouldn't accept my messages for relaying although my previous ISP had done so without question. Commenting out all the "relayhost" entries cured the problem!

Hope this helps...

Yup, I checked out the /etc/postfix/aliases. The default of all the root is to postfix. Is that the reason why all my incoming mail go into the posttfix user mailbox? I tested by changing the root value to a HUMAN (myself), but it still the same. Where else can it be to accept each individual incoming mail to the each individual mailbox?

After you change the alias file, you have to update the database by executing "newaliases" and then do "postfix reload" to let the server know about the new database data. That should then take it to your own mailbox.

hmm, now that I remove myselft from aliase root (using default /etc/postfix/aliases). All the incoming mail now redirect to each user mailbox. I guess my question is now why the "mail" command to check mail always stated "No mail for userX", but it is in the mailbox when I read with "vi" /var/mail/userX file. In addition, do you know how to setup on the server side to allow SMTP and POP to work under outlook express to receive the mail from the server remotely? Any comment is welcome, thanks in advance

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to this one; to send main to my Windows boxes, I address them via the Internet!

You might try putting names for the Windows boxes into your /etc/hosts file if they are not already there, and then addressing the mail using the box's name as the "@" part of the address. However most of the configuration needs to be done to Outlook Express, rather than to the server, since the server is already listening for requests on the LAN ports. I would expect delivery to be automatic, if mail is properly addressed, but you probably will have to use a user name and log in to the Windows machines in order for the routing to work properly...

Since I've avoided all the newer M$ systems, I'm not at all familiar with the details of configuring them, though!

You are right. I just setup the outlook express in the MS windows to receive mail from the server, but couldn't reply to the email address that is not belong to the mail server. Does anybody know what to do to with this problem?