Hi all. I have just compiled and installed sendmail. I am having problems running "sendmail -v -bi" (and newaliases, which I think is what that really means). I get this error:
Cannot rebuild aliases: no database format defined
Cannot create database for alias file /etc/mail/aliases

I have installed db, and it seems like that is working (if db has anything to do with it). Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

-Adam

ooh yeah... here's my /etc/mail/aliases file:

postmaster: root
MAILER-DAEMON: root

Did you know we have an LFS forum?
Did you include database formats when you built sendmail?

Yes, i know there is an lfs forum, but i figured this topic was general enough to be in the software section. I am not sure if I included the formats... here's how I built it (straight from the BLFS instructions)

cat > devtools/Site/site.config.m4 << "EOF"
define(`confMANGRP',`root')
define(`confMANOWN',`root')
define(`confSBINGRP',`root')
define(`confUBINGRP',`root')
define(`confUBINOWN',`root')
EOF
cd sendmail &&
sh Build &&
cd ../cf/cf &&
cp generic-linux.mc sendmail.mc &&
mkdir /etc/mail &&
sh Build sendmail.mc &&
sh Build install-cf &&
cd ../../ &&
sh Build install

I don't see anything about databases... Did i skip something?

Uhm, No, I mean, if you did build *sendmail* yourself, did you configure it to use one or more of the database types to use?
I haven't got LFS, and I didn't read its docs, but if you installed for instance db3 then in devtools/Site/site.config.m4 you could do:
APPENDDEF(`confINCDIRS',`-I/usr/include/db3')
define(`confMAPDEF', `-DNEWDB')

The sendmail docs at sendmail.org should also point at installing necessary database formats for use with sendmail.

Thanks unSpawn... I'll check that out. Usually when the instructions are complicated in LFS, i just kindof blindly follow them, with the hope of deciphering them later. Looks like this is one case where i have to decipher NOW.

ps- Maybe you're right.... you can move the thread to the lfs forum if you want.

Well, hope it gets you there... About moving, only moderators (mcleodnine or rshaw) or jeremy can do that. I'd suggest you start up a new thread in LFS when necessary.