topic Re: Mail, TCP/IP, DNS, BIND in Operating System - OpenVMS

Mail, TCP/IP, DNS, BIND

Leon Ross — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:42:27 GMT

So yes I am a newbie to all of this especially on openVMS 8.2.

I am trying to get a mail server up and running that can provide mail to/from openVMS, redhat and windows.

First i thought that I should just use the mail server on the Alpha OpenVMS box. I enabled POP and SMTP however I can't get Outlook (on windows) to use these servers. It rejects the username and password.

Secondly I thought I would just set up a mail server on the linux machine. Sendmail must have a DNS server running so I set up the same linux server as a DNS server as well. I got that working on the linux and windows machine. However I am having a ton of trouble getting the Alpha set up to use this DNS server.

My questions are
1. Which way would you guys and gals suggest I should go as far as a mail server? Should I leave it on the Alpha or set one up on the linux box?
2. How do I set up the Alpha to use the DNS server on the linux box? Do I still need a host file/database if I am successful.

I am very new to all of this so please bear with me.

Any help is definitely appreciated.
Leon

Re: Mail, TCP/IP, DNS, BIND

Steven Schweda — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:14:05 GMT

Define "mail server". SMTP? POP? Both?
What?

> [...] It rejects the username and password.

Who's "It"? While doing what? How does the
VMS system know what the right user names and
passwords are? (Do they work in a non-POP
context?)

> [...] I am having a ton of trouble [...]

Not a useful description of what you did or
what happened when you did it.

> 1. [...]

It depends.

> 2. [...]

sys$manager:tcpip$config.com
Core environment
BIND Resolver
Enter your BIND server name:
[...]

It's common to have a few critical items in a
local HOSTS data base, so that some work is
possible when the DNS server is unavailable.

Re: Mail, TCP/IP, DNS, BIND

Robert Gezelter — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:58:58 GMT

Leon,

> It rejects the username and password.

In addition to Steven's comments, it would be helpful if the output of an SHOW from within AUTHORIZE was posted.

When accounts are created, they are often set as initially disabled.

As usual, the more information that can be provided, the more accurate the feedback.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: Mail, TCP/IP, DNS, BIND

Hoff — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:52:23 GMT

Whether OpenVMS is an appropriate solution here depends on your particular local requirements.

While this SMTP configuration can probably be assembled on OpenVMS based on various open-source packages and ports (eg: ClamAV), it's going to be more work to build and to maintain it locally. (I've not seen integration with the Zen blacklist or similar, though that might be around.)

The basic TCP/IP Services configuration on OpenVMS is classic and straightforward SMTP, and lacking antivirus, antispam, eSMTP authenticated SMTP, and encryption features. OpenVMS lacks an SMTP client with TCP/IP Services, though the third-party IP stack from Process offers a client.

Third-party commercial IP stacks for OpenVMS (such as those from Process) are rather better in various regards here, as compared with the TCP/IP Services IP stack. This includes with spam and blacklists.

A Linux-, Unix- or HP-UX-based mail server (or Windows Server with Exchange Server, a solution HP variously recommends) will provide you with a more complete solution out of the box as compared with the TCP/IP Services package on OpenVMS, including integrated antivirus and antispam features. I'd expect all of this to be baked into most any RHEL or Fedora (or HP-UX or other Linux) distro of recent history, or Microsoft and Exchange. Or with one of the Process IP stacks for OpenVMS.

As for your DNS question, static DNS hosts, and a DNS resolver, and a full DNS server are available with TCP/IP Services, and with the third-party IP stacks, on OpenVMS. As was mentioned earlier.

And again, whether OpenVMS and TCP/IP Services is appropriate here depends on your specific requirements.