Unknown User Error when using Sendmail

[Jeff Paciolla_1]

I have scoured the forum for hints and have tried just about every thing I can think of. I have added the DS, and the DM entry in sendmail.cf. I have created the nsswitch.conf file, I have added the exchange server in my host file.

Here is my problem: When I try to send an email from my HP-UX 11.00 box to an internet email address (say a pager, pin#@airmessage.net) I get an error telling me that the user is unknown (below is a copy of the error in the mail file). The box I am using as my relay is an exchange server.

example of error:

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
8773443591@airmessage.net

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to dallasmail:
>>> RCPT To:<8773443591@airmessage.net>
<<< 550 5.7.1 Unable to relay for 8773443591@airmessage.net
550 8773443591@airmessage.net... User unknown

--MAA16178.1018973623/pikachu.acs-inc.com
Content-Type: message/delivery-status

Reporting-MTA: dns; pikachu.acs-inc.com
Arrival-Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 12:13:42 -0400 (EDT)

Final-Recipient: RFC822; 8773443591@airmessage.net
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.1
Remote-MTA: DNS; dallasmail
Diagnostic-Code: SMTP; 550 5.7.1 Unable to relay for 8773443591@airmessage.net
Last-Attempt-Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 12:13:43 -0400 (EDT)

--MAA16178.1018973623/pikachu.acs-inc.com
Content-Type: message/rfc822

Return-Path:
Received: (from root@localhost)
by pikachu.acs-inc.com (8.8.6 (PHNE_17190)/8.8.6) id MAA16176;
Tue, 16 Apr 2002 12:13:42 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 12:13:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: root
Message-Id: <200204161613.MAA16176@pikachu.acs-inc.com>
To: 8773443591@airmessage.net, jeff.paciolla@acs-inc.com
Subject: Test From Pikachu
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

end of example

All help is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Jeff

[someone_4]

Hello
what do the following do?

sendmail -bv pin#@airmessage.net

try differernt users @ airmessage.net and emails that you know for a fact work aol.com yahoo.com.

nslookup airmessage.net
and do the nslookup for aol.com yahoo.com hotmail.com

richard

[Clemens van Everdingen]

Hi,

Let us know what is in your /etc/sendmail.cw file.

All forms of name resolving should be in there.

like:
localhost
sultan
sultan.domain.com
sultan.

C.

[Jeff Paciolla_1]

Richard -
Here are the responses from your two questions:

#sendmail -bv 8773443591@airmessage.net

8773443591@airmessage.net... deliverable: mailer relay, host dallasmail, user 8773443591@airmessage.
net

#nslookup airmessage.net

Using /etc/hosts on: pikachu

looking up FILES
*** No address information is available for "airmessage.net"

Thanks
Jeff

[Jeff Paciolla_1]

FYI - the boxes hostname is pikachu

Here are the contents of /etc/mail/sendmail.cw

localhost
S2030089
localhost
Pikachup
localhost
pikachu
pikachu.



Thanks
Jeff

[someone_4]

look at
/etc/resolv.conf

you should have dns servers set up there. Like so

nameserver ip.of.dns.server
nameserver ip.of.another.dns

and /etc/nsswitch.conf

hosts: files [NOTFOUND=continue TRYAGAIN=continue] dns

Richard

[Jeff Paciolla_1]

in my nsswitch.conf file I have the following

hosts : files
aliases : files

I am not using dns, so should I have an /etc/resolv file

Thanks
Jeff

[Jeff Schussele]

Jeff,

If you haven't already, the first thing I would do is double-check that user name at airmessage.net.

You can try to telnet, port 25, to the inbound mail server at airmessage.net.
If you don't know the server name you can perform an nslookup at a root DNS server out on the 'net or from your outgoing or incoming mail servers locally.
#nslookup
>server ip_of_dns_server
>set type=mx
>airmessage.net
>exit

Then #telnet mail_server_ip 25
>HELO
>MAIL From:
>RCPT To: the_user_name@airmessage.net

If it comes back unknown user at this point then that's an invalid username.

HTH,
Jeff

[Clemens van Everdingen]

Hi,

Try putting the names of the exchange relay server in the hosts file and in the /etc/mail/sendmail.cw file.

C.

[Jeff Schussele]

After you get your DNS client set properly, you'll also need to insure your host is in DNS - by hostname & IP as most mailservers do reverse lookups.

Rgds,
Jeff