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Re: sendmail storage...

 

sendmail storage...

Hi experts,

Instead of a database, can sendmail use regular Unix files for storage?

Thanks in Advance
Regards,
Subrat
4 REPLIES 4
Matti_Kurkela
Honored Contributor

Re: sendmail storage...

Huh???

Normally sendmail *is* using regular Unix files: the queue for outgoing mail is located in /var/spool/mqueue and the users' inboxes are in /var/mail in HP-UX.

The use of a database for mail storage is definitely a non-default configuration.

Or did you mean the storage of /etc/mail/aliases and other configuration files? As those may be looked up each time a piece of mail must be delivered, and those files usually won't change all that often, the database or hash maps are used to make the look-up more efficient.

In a high-volume mail server, you would definitely want efficiency.

MK
MK

Re: sendmail storage...

Hi,

As per doc..
Sendmail supports two different formats for the local (on disk) version of databases
1-NDBM
2-NWEDB.

Actully What is NDBM format...and how to store messages...

Regards,
Subrat
Peter Nikitka
Honored Contributor

Re: sendmail storage...

Hi,

the result of Matti's post:
The pure mail message is stored in plain files.
The (N)dbm format is used to hash stored values.
Addresses/Aliases/... are stored in files of such type; look at that man page:

http://docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90691/makemap.1M.html

mfG Peter
The Universe is a pretty big place, it's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space, right? Jodie Foster in "Contact"
Steven E. Protter
Exalted Contributor

Re: sendmail storage...

Shalom,

sendmail uses files. Various clients like squirrelmail and Exchange can read these files and put the data into databases.

I'm guessing you don't have a standard installation there.

SEP
Steven E Protter
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