Sendmail

JavaNinja · 12-12-2008, 01:08 PM

Hello all,

I have asked this in a PHP forum, but I think I have identified the problem to be more related to sendmail not accepting PHP to send emails.

I migrated to a new server (Fedora 9) everything works fine but sending mail via php. In my php.ini:

Code:

sendmail_from	no value	no value
sendmail_path	/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i	/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i
Path to sendmail 	/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i

Sendmail works fine since I can send mail from it like so:

Code:

[root@localhost] echo "Test" | mail -s "Sup Dude" myemail@googlemail.com

But the mail function in PHP always failes!

Is there something I need to do to connect PHP and sendmail?

Really need help on this!

Thanks all

JavaNinja · 12-12-2008, 01:08 PM

According to /var/log/maillog:

Code:

Dec 12 17:59:46 localhost sendmail[2345]: NOQUEUE: SYSERR(apache): /etc/mail/sendmail.cf: line 0: cannot open: Permission denied

So apache isn't allowed to view the configuration for sendmail, is it fine just to open permission to all?

Should apache be added to the trusted users list of sendmail?

jstephens84 · 12-12-2008, 01:53 PM

No don't open up the permissions. That problem looks like the it is in your php.ini. I will see if I can find something. I remember coming across a document with similar problems but had a solution.

jstephens84 · 12-12-2008, 01:57 PM

try just using /usr/sbin/sendmail. See what results that yeilds. After change you may have to reload apache. you may have to give read access to the sendmail.cf file though.

JavaNinja · 12-12-2008, 02:47 PM

Hey jstephens84,

Thank you for your reply. I changed the php.ini file and restarted apache with the change you suggested but I still can't send emails from the php mail function, always returns false. And the log has the same thing in it:

Code:

Dec 12 21:45:44 localhost sendmail[2526]: NOQUEUE: SYSERR(apache): /etc/mail/sendmail.cf: line 0: cannot open: Permission denied

Here are the permissions for sendmail.cf:

Code:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 58624 2008-03-29 12:27 sendmail.cf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  7205 2008-03-29 12:27 sendmail.mc

What else can I try?

Thanks

jstephens84 · 12-12-2008, 03:58 PM

Try checking to see if you have selinux turned on. If you do then it may be blocking the access to that service. look in grub.conf and see if you see anything like selinux=0 or 1

0 = permissive mode
1 = enforcement mode

you can also check at /boot/grub/grub.conf

FC 3 and above uses selinux by default unless you turn it off during startup.

JavaNinja · 12-12-2008, 04:29 PM

There was nothing in grub.conf??

But when I type sestatus i get:

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# sestatus
SELinux status:                 enabled
SELinuxfs mount:                /selinux
Current mode:                   enforcing
Mode from config file:          enforcing
Policy version:                 23
Policy from config file:        targeted

CRAP! How do I change the following to on?

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# sestatus -b | grep sendmail
httpd_can_sendmail  off

JavaNinja · 12-12-2008, 04:39 PM

I changed it and a lot of other things, restarted sendmail and httpd and no difference! HELP!

Code:

httpd_builtin_scripting              on
httpd_can_network_connect            on
httpd_can_network_connect_db         on
httpd_can_network_relay              on
httpd_can_sendmail                   on
httpd_enable_cgi                     on
httpd_enable_ftp_server              off
httpd_enable_homedirs                on
httpd_execmem                        off
httpd_ssi_exec                       off
httpd_tty_comm                       on
httpd_unified                        on
httpd_use_cifs                       off
httpd_use_nfs                        off

jstephens84 · 12-12-2008, 06:25 PM

This is going to sound crazy but try a reboot. Not sure if you have done that yet but lets just humor ourselves for a moment. We may also want to fully turn SElinux off. Can't help much as I am not a big fan of SE so I always just turned it off. So I have little to no experience with it.

JavaNinja · 12-13-2008, 08:42 AM

This is really getting me down now!

I have rebooted switched off SElinux and put it in permissive mode too and tried to send emails which still doesn't work!

Why not add apache user to the allowed users list?

Are these settings ok?

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# sestatus -b | grep httpd
allow_httpd_anon_write               off
allow_httpd_dbus_avahi               off
allow_httpd_mod_auth_ntlm_winbind    off
allow_httpd_mod_auth_pam             off
allow_httpd_sys_script_anon_write    off
httpd_builtin_scripting              on
httpd_can_network_connect            on
httpd_can_network_connect_db         on
httpd_can_network_relay              on
httpd_can_sendmail                   on
httpd_enable_cgi                     on
httpd_enable_ftp_server              off
httpd_enable_homedirs                on
httpd_execmem                        off
httpd_ssi_exec                       off
httpd_tty_comm                       on
httpd_unified                        on
httpd_use_cifs                       off
httpd_use_nfs                        off

jstephens84 · 12-13-2008, 01:33 PM

Adding apache to the allowd user list should be fine. Earlier I thought you meant changing say the permissions of the sendmail.cf file to 777. That was my fault.

JavaNinja · 12-13-2008, 02:34 PM

I could cry! Apache is already in the trusted users list!

Code:

# trusted-users - users that can send mail as others without a warning
# apache, mailman, majordomo, uucp, are good candidates

Although when I look at the mailog, I tried it send an email and I get:

Code:

Dec 13 21:32:17 localhost sendmail[7488]: mBDLWHNk007488: from=apache, size=61, class=0, nrcpts=0, msgid=<200812132132.mBDLWHNk007488@localhost.localdomain>, relay=apache@localhost

It use to deny it like this:

Code:

Dec 12 21:45:44 localhost sendmail[2526]: NOQUEUE: SYSERR(apache): /etc/mail/sendmail.cf: line 0: cannot open: Permission denied

I am not even sure what I have changed?!

Btw, jstephens84 - thank you for sticking with me in resolving the issue and before YOU are right, I did mean changing the permissions of the sendmail.cf file. :P

jstephens84 · 12-13-2008, 05:03 PM

Well that is good to see that it works now. Too bad we don't know how we fixed it so someone else could benefit but oh well. That is how it goes sometimes. It works and you have no clue how it started.

JavaNinja · 12-13-2008, 05:24 PM

I know, I wish I knew what was going on, but a slight problem :P There is no email in my inbox and the mail function still returns false even though the maillog seems to suggest its fine!

Code:

Dec 14 00:18:01 localhost sendmail[2856]: mBE0I1QT002856:
 from=apache, size=189, class=0, nrcpts=0, msgid=
<200812140018.mBE0I1QT002856@localhost.localdomain>,
 relay=apache@localhost

Really sorry this dragging on, but why do you think this is?

Is there another mailserver I can setup and use to see if its any different. I am so weary of sendmail!

JavaNinja · 12-13-2008, 05:34 PM

WAIT! IT WORKS - I change the php.ini back to "/usr/lib/sendmail -t -i" and it sent. OH MY GOD!

Thank you so much for helping me and sticking with me jstephens84!! I bet I get this problem in the future and I won't know what to do - but I will be back here for sure!