unable to qualify my own domain name

[robert_15]

Hi

The following message flashes on my server screen every 10 minutes:

Feb 20 04:30:01 servername sendmail[2325]: unable to qualify my own domain name (servername) -- using short name

Does anyone know how to disable/resolve it (other than switching off the screen) or whether there are any repercussions to not being able to qualify the domain name?

appreciate any help :)

robert

[Neale Machin · Accepted solution]

We've come across this a few times
In your host file put another alias for the host followed by a full stop

ie

xx.xx.xx.xx hostname hostname.

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

Perform an nslookup servername.

Check that
1) Entries for the DNS server is present in /etc/resolv.conf and your servername can be resolved by the DNS.
2) /etc/hosts contain your servername entry.
3) /etc/nsswitch.conf contains the correct sequence for hosts: line eg. hosts: files [NOTFOUND=continue] dns.

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong
Brainbench MVP for Unix Admin
http://www.brainbench.com

[Philip Chan_1]

Hi,

That warning should be coming out of the sendmail program startup. To fix that try the following steps,

1. edit /etc/mail/sendmail.cf, locate the line containing "Dj$w.hp.com", change that to "Dj$w." then uncomment that line.
2. edit /etc/hosts, locate your hostname entry, at the line end append " ."
3. now restart sendmail by "/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop" follow by "/sbin/init.d/sendmail start", if you don't see the warning message then the problem has been fixed.

[Philip Chan_1]

Robert,

Just saw under the comment part of /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file some description on warnings about un-qualified domain name. Take a look at that.

Cheers,
Philip

[Marcel Boon]

Hi Robert,

You use a shortname instead of a qualified name.

You need an alias for your shortname.
1) vi /etc/hosts
change the line:
your_ip_nummer your_hp your_hp.
(Don't forget the dot on the end)

2)vi /etc/mail/sendmail.cw
Add your_hp. to this file
It looks like:
localhost
your_hp
your_hp.

3) restart the sendmail deamon

/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop
/sbin/init.d/sendmail start

I hope it helps

Marcel

[Dave Kelly_1]

Please note that if you specify the DS macro (smart host) with a domain name, you need to set your Dj$w value to have the same domain name.