ELM

[David Dangerfield_1]

The elm has stopped working on a couple of our machines. Any idea how to start it back up and why it would have stopped.

[Matti_Kurkela · Accepted solution]

Please define "stopped working" in more detail. Is there any error messages when you try to use it?

MK

[A. Clay Stephenson]

It would really help if you defined "not working" a bit more precisely. Are you not able to send mail? Receive mail? Does the interactive version fail to start? Does it execute from the command line? Is there a problem only with local mail? Have you tried mail or mailx?

Ask yourself how much would you be able to help someone with your question as it was stated.

[David Dangerfield_1]

when you type elm at the command prompt you get on email like we usually do. We use Reflection and clicking on the mailbox it is empty and we always have emails in there up until we rebooted the server a few days ago.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Okay, it sounds as though your sendmail daemon is not running. That would allow you to send mail but not to receive (non local) mail. Do this: "UNIX95=1 ps -C sendmail -f". If you see no process then sendmail is not running as a daemon --- which means that you cannot receive mail. If that is the case, execute "/sbin/init.d/sendmail start" and repeat the ps command above. If it fails to start then examine /var/adm/syslog/mail.log for clues.

[whiteknight]

David,


try #elm -f mbox, see if you could open your mailbox ?



WC

[David Dangerfield_1]

I get a process of connection using port 25.

When i try to stop the sendmail i get NIS is not running. But we don't use NIS on another server exactly like this one and sendmail works.

[David Dangerfield_1]

when I do that command I get

Can't open folder 'mbox' for reading.

[whiteknight]

Hi David,

I think the messages are likely saved in mbox, so you will not see any email, when you type elm.

1) ll /var/mail/root
# ll
total 2
-rw-rw---- 1 root mail 642 May 9 11:46 root

2) elm -f /var/mail/root

See if this is what you want ?

WK

[David Dangerfield_1]

I can type elm bu nothing is in it period. Always up until reboot you would have stuff. Not sure what is going on.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

If you are seeing NIS messages then compare your /etc/nsswitch.conf files on a "good" and "bad" box. Pay attention to the hosts entry.

[whiteknight]

Hi David

in /etc/nsswitch.conf

# more /etc/nsswitch.conf
hosts: files dns <= add in this line only

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

Then you should not get nis is not running.


WK

[David Dangerfield_1]

ok all is great at the home front now. It was the /etc/nsswitch.conf

for some reason there was a line it in

aliases: NIS [notfound=continue UNAVAIL=continue] files.