not able to receive mail in hp-ux

[Gerard Powell]

I have configured sendmail on hp-ux. I am able to send mails but not receive. Can somebody help in this. Is there any entry that I have missed?

This is how I have configured it:

1. /etc/nsswitch.conf

hosts: files
aliases: files

2. /etc/resolv.conf

nameserver
domain

3. /etc/rc.config.d/mailservs

export SENDMAIL_SERVER=1
export SENDMAIL_SERVER_NAME=
export SENDMAIL_RECVONLY=0
export SENDMAIL_SENDONLY=0

4. /etc/mail/sendmail.cf

DS

5. stopped and started the sendmail service.

[rariasn]

Hi Gerard,

http://docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90685/ch04s02.html#ceedfdjb

"Verifying Your sendmail Installation"


http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1036060

rgs,

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] on hp-ux [...]

Not a very complete description.

uname -a

> [...] I am able to send mails but not
> receive. [...]

"I am not able" is not a useful problem
description. What, exactly, did you do to
test it? What, exactly, happened when you
did that?

> 5. stopped and started the sendmail service.

How, exactly?

As usual, showing actual commands with their
actual output can be more helpful than vague
descriptions and interpretations.


> [...]
> [...]

> DS

Can you hide any more potentially important
details?

> 4. /etc/mail/sendmail.cf
> [...]

That's what's in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf, or
that's what you changed, or that's what you
added, or what?

[Gerard Powell]

Steven Schweda

1. Uname -a

HP-UX hptst B.11.00 U 9000/800 579706537 unlimited-user license


using elm I am able to send mails from gmp@hptst.cmcltd.com to say gmp@cmcltd.com.
but not able to send from gmp@cmcltd.com to gmp@hptst.cmcltd.com


the error I get
Host hptst.cmcltd.com not found.

The following recipients did not receive this message:



edited /etc/resolv.conf and put these entries

domain cmcltd.com
nameserver download.cmcltd.com


/etc/mail/sendmail.cf and put this entry

# "Smart" relay host (may be null)
DS172.16.11.11



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

[Steven Schweda · Accepted solution]

> the error I get
> Host hptst.cmcltd.com not found.

Looks to me more like a name resolution
problem than a sendmail problem.

What's in /etc/hosts? Are you using DNS?

nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com

[Gerard Powell]

Dear Steven Schweda,

1. c:\>nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com

Server: download.cmcltd.com
Address: 172.16.2.2

Name: hptst.cmcltd.com
Address: 172.16.25.5

2. Yes. I am using DNS
/etc/hosts has the entries

#SMTP
172.16.11.1 cmcdak.cmcltd.com cmcdak
#DNS
172.16.2.2 cmcltd.com cmcltd
172.16.25.5 hptst.cmcltd.com hptst

[Steven Schweda]

> 1. c:\>nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com

Why does that look as if it were run on a
Windows system?

I'm now officially confused.

[Gerard Powell]

I connect remotely from a windows m/c on these systems, so I had given nslookup from windows system.

This output is from hptst system.
# nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com
Using /etc/hosts on: hptst

looking up FILES
Name: hptst.cmcltd.com
Address: 172.16.25.5
Aliases: hptst

# nslookup cmcdak.cmcltd.com
Using /etc/hosts on: hptst

looking up FILES
Name: cmcdak.cmcltd.com
Address: 172.16.11.1
Aliases: cmcdak

[Dennis Handly]

>but not able to send from gmp@cmcltd.com to gmp@hptst.cmcltd.com

You should be checking nslookup on the machine that is sending mail.

[Gerard Powell]

You are right not able to send from gmp@cmcltd.com to gmp@hptst.cmcltd.com

output from gmp@cmcltd.com m/c

$ nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com
Server: 172.16.2.2
Address: 172.16.2.2#53

Name: hptst.cmcltd.com
Address: 172.16.25.5

uname -a
Linux cmcdak 2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp #1 SMP Thu Aug 17 17:57:31 EDT 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[Dennis Handly]

>Linux cmcdak 2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp

This looks more like a Linux problem than HP-UX. You mentioned you made a bunch of changes to the HP-UX server, did you do something similar to the Linux side and restart the sendmail?

Can you look at the log files on Linux to see why the mail wasn't delivered?

[Gerard Powell]

I dont have administrator privileges on the Linux Server to send you the logs.
The mail bounced back with this error

Reporting-MTA: dns; in1inf01.smx.co.in
Arrival-Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 14:22:15 +0000
Received-From-MTA: dns; oedge4101-rme.smx.co.in (10.41.20.27)

Final-Recipient: RFC822;
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.2
Remote-MTA: dns; hptst.cmcltd.com

Thanks alot, your help is much appreciated.

[Steven Schweda]

I thought that I was lost before, but now I'm
more lost than ever. Perhaps you can help.
Can we impose a little order on this mess?

1. You claim to be running sendmail on
"hptst" (hptst.cmcltd.com) which is an HP-UX
system. Right?

2. From which computer are you trying to send
the e-mail message?

3. Where did you see this "Host
hptst.cmcltd.com not found." message?

> This output is from hptst system.
> # nslookup hptst.cmcltd.com
> Using /etc/hosts on: hptst
>
> looking up FILES
> Name: hptst.cmcltd.com
> Address: 172.16.25.5
> Aliases: hptst

4. So, as I see it, hptst can find its own
IP address by looking in its own /etc/hosts
file ("looking up FILES"). Other computers
will be using their own hosts files (or DNS).
Can _they_ resolve the name
"hptst.cmcltd.com"? The computer which is
trying to send the e-mail message to
"gmp@hptst.cmcltd.com" needs to be able to
resolve "hptst.cmcltd.com", right? Can it?

> I dont have administrator privileges on the
> Linux Server to send you the logs.

You may need to try to send e-mail from some
system where you _can_ see why the delivery
fails.

5. Just to be sure that you're really running
sendmail on "hptst", can you verify that you
can connect to it from somewhere using a
command like this?:

telnet hptst.cmcltd.com 25

(If that works, just say "quit" to get out.)
You should be able to do that from "hptst"
itself, or from the system where you're
trying to send the e-mail. Can you?


6. Note that mail sent to "user@cmcltd.com"
goes to some completely different place. To
see where, you should be able to run a
command like this:

nslookup -type=mx cmcltd.com

Look for "mail exchanger". There may be more
than one. My point here is that sending
e-mail to "user@cmcltd.com" involves talking
to a completely different computer from
"hptst.cmcltd.com", so it's not amazing that
it works one way but not the other.

[Gerard Powell]

1. Right, running sendmail on "hptst"

2. Trying to send mail from gmp@cmcltd.com

3. When I send a mail to gmp@hptst@cmcltd.com from gmp@cmcltd.com it bounces back with "Host hptst.cmcltd.com not found"

4. The computer from where I am sending cannot resolve â hptst.cmcltd.comâ
When I send a mail from gmp@cmcltd.com to gmp@hptst@cmcltd.com it bounces back with â Host hptst.cmcltd.com not foundâ and delivery fails.

5. Yes, able to telnet

6. $ nslookup -type=mx cmcltd.com
Server: 172.16.2.2
Address: 172.16.2.2#53

*** Can't find cmcltd.com: No answer

[Steven Schweda]

> 2. From which computer are you trying to send
> the e-mail message?

> 2. Trying to send mail from gmp@cmcltd.com

That is not a computer. From which
_computer_ are you trying to send the e-mail
message?

> 4. The computer from where I am sending

And WHAT IS THAT COMPUTER?

> cannot resolve "hptst.cmcltd.com" [...]

> As usual, showing actual commands with their
> actual output can be more helpful than vague
> descriptions and interpretations.

Still true. Please, show the actual nslookup
commands with their actual output. This new
copy+paste technology is a miracle. You
should try using it.

If the address of "hptst.cmcltd.com" is not
generally known (in everyone's hosts file, or
in the DNS data), then how do you expect
another computer to send e-mail to it?

> 5. Yes, able to telnet

FROM WHERE TO WHERE, HOW? Can you leave out
any _more_ useful information?

> *** Can't find cmcltd.com: No answer

That's interesting. Of course, with my weak
psychic powers, I have no idea where you ran
that command, so I don't know exactly how
bad this result is, but it sure does look
bad. That one works from _my_ system.

Can all of these systems talk to each other
("ping", say), or are there basic networking
(routing?, firewall?) problems, too?