How does mailx determine where to deliver mail to?

[Dave Johnson_1]

Alias file it the default shipped with 11.23. The /etc/rc.config.d/mailservers file is the default shipped with 11.23:
export SENDMAIL_SERVER=1
export SENDMAIL_SERVER_NAME=
Here is the DS line as it appears in the sendmail.cf file:
# "Smart" relay host (may be null)
DS

# LUSER-RELAY

This server (and all the other HP-UX boxes here) have sendmail config files that are unaltered from the original install except for the CE line was changed from "CE root" to just CE and the DM line was changed from DM to "DMmx1.domain.com".

Please understand these are servers built and installed by HP for me and I am the only one here with the root password. (Before anyone tried to chastise this, it is in a sealed envelope in a secure location, so if I am hit by a bus, my boss can give it to someone as needed.) Once connected to our network, I gave them IP addresses, host names and pointed them to the company Windows DNS servers.

Again email works, I just do not understand why if there is no MX record on the inside DNS server.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom again.

Alias file it the default shipped with 11.23. The /etc/rc.config.d/mailservers file is the default shipped with 11.23:
export SENDMAIL_SERVER=1
export SENDMAIL_SERVER_NAME=
Here is the DS line as it appears in the sendmail.cf file:
# "Smart" relay host (may be null)
DS

# LUSER-RELAY

This server (and all the other HP-UX boxes here) have sendmail config files that are unaltered from the original install except for the CE line was changed from "CE root" to just CE and the DM line was changed from DM to "DMmx1.domain.com".

Please understand these are servers built and installed by HP for me and I am the only one here with the root password. (Before anyone tried to chastise this, it is in a sealed envelope in a secure location, so if I am hit by a bus, my boss can give it to someone as needed.)
>>
Quite the opposite. I find your security arrangement ideal.
<<
Once connected to our network, I gave them IP addresses, host names and pointed them to the company Windows DNS servers.

Again email works, I just do not understand why if there is no MX record on the inside DNS server.

If nslookup does not work, and your server can't find its mail exchanger, I am quite curious as to how mail is getting off your server.

Take a look at /var/adm/syslog/mail.log, that might give you a clue.

By default, sendmail tries to resolve the domain name, obtain the mail exchanger and will send the mail to the proper domain.

DNS need not work if there is an /etc/hosts entry to provide the system an answer as far as the mail exchanger goes.

It is quite interesting that your system is getting mail off if ping and nslookup is not working.

Take a look at sendmail.cf itself. It is possible there is a bypass statement put there by accident when HP set up the system. It would look like what I was recommending to resolve the problem.

I still say copying /etc/nsswitch.conf and /etc/resolv.conf from a fully working system that can ping/nslookup the mail exchanger would resolve the more important problem which is the system can't look up the mail exchanger.

It is possible an m4 was run on sendmail.mc which generated a sendmail.cf file that gets the mail going.

I think the key file to look at is sendmail.cf

SEP

[Dave Johnson_1]

Upon closer inspection the DNS does have an MX record for our domain. It was not where he was expecting to find it.
Thanks for the input,
-Dave