Sendmail ignores DS entry after failed attempt

[Rob Beglinger]

If, when an email message is sent, it fails to go to the DS host(as defined in sendmail.cf) it is going to another different host (not in sendmail.cf). The other host is a DS entry in a sendmail.cf.prod file, but I don't think it should be used. Let me give you an example:

Dec 3 10:33:45 om6db1 sendmail[9291]: nB3GXhq09291: to=user@xyz.net, delay=00:00:02, mailer=relay, pri=0, relay=[dev-mail], dsn=4.4.3, stat=Transient parse error -- message queued for future delivery
Dec 3 10:33:45 om6db1 sendmail[9291]: nB3GXhq09291: from=localuser, size=854, class=0, nrcpts=0, msgid=<200912031633.nB3GXhq09291@om6db1>, relay=localuser@localhost
Dec 3 10:33:45 om6db1 sendmail[9291]: nB3GXhq09291: to=user@xyz.net, delay=00:00:02, mailer=relay, pri=854, dsn=4.4.3, stat=queued
Dec 3 11:02:09 om6db1 sendmail[15520]: nB3GXhq09291: to=user@xyz.net, ctladdr=localuser (218/110), delay=00:28:26, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=90854, relay=[mail], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (Ok: queued as 47307C23F)

Here are the DS entries from the sendmail.cf files in question:

/etc/mail/sendmail.cf:DS[dev-mail]
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf.prod:DS[mail]

My understanding is that sendmail only reads sendmail.cf so I'm not sure how the email is getting forwarded out to the other mail-relay.

The "mail" host is not in DNS as an MX record.

"dev-mail" is a mail collector for our developers use to send test messages to using real email addresses, but doesn't let the mail go anywhere.

"mail" is a real mail relay server that will send messages out to the real world.

Any idea why sendmail would send to "mail" after a failed attempt to "dev-mail" when sendmail.cf says DS[dev-mail]? Other mail messages went to "dev-mail" just fine during this time period.

Thanks,

Rob

[Michael Steele_2]

Hi

If both files are in /etc/mail, then move the cf.prod file and see what happens.