after following the readme and install
I run sendmail -v -bi and get
newaliases: cannot open /etc/mail/aliases: no such file or directory... what is wrong?
I cannot start sendmail?
help ?

Does the /etc/mail directory exist?
Does the file /etc/mail/aliases exist already?
Are you running this as root?
have you already installed sendmail, or only compiled it?

Alternatively, if the aliases file already exists, you can build the db by running the following command:
makemap hash /etc/mail/aliases < /etc/mail/aliases

>Does the /etc/mail directory exist?
yes

>Does the file /etc/mail/aliases exist already?
no

>Are you running this as root?
yes

>have you already installed sendmail, or only compiled it?
yes both compiled and installed


changes hosts file
#remarked out 127.0.0.1 localhost localdomain ....
added
127.0.0.1 www.mydomain.com localhost
but on reboot it complains that localhost localdomain does not exist.

sendmail now sends...

ran make map. now sendmail -v -bi does not complain. but evolution still doesn't actually send mail? how do I know if its running.

If you ps auwx | grep sendmail, is it shown as running?

After you try to send mail, what does the /var/log/messages logfile say?

Did your configure/compilation/installation of sendmail complain about anything?

its running and sends .. now I just need to figure out the receive.
it was mad because I was sending as root@localdomain.localhost and it said it didn't exist.

now I need to forward from my yahoo domains account where my website it as mydomain.com the mx info. anyone know what records I need to setup so that I can forward my email only to the ip of this sendmail server

yahoo domains allows me to add A, mx, cname, and virtual forwards. I added A record mail.mydomain.com points to ip xx.xx.xx.xx

I added mx mydomain.com mail delivered to mail.mydomain.com
so far nothing goes through. I get an error
550 RCPT TO:<slam@mydomain.com> User unknown

That kind of setup is out of my league. (= Sorry.. (=