Sendmail disabled, message queue in /var/spool/mqueue

[ikbea]

Hi,

I disabled "S540sendmail" when server boot up for seversal years.

Recently, /var is full, I found many files in /var/spool/mqueue. These files have same
sender (root) and subject (cron).

Refer to other posts, I run "mailq". There are also many files queueing. I think "mailq" got QID from filename in /var/spool/mqueue.

The /var/adm/syslog/mail.log keep to be updated
In /var/mail/, these files are also keep to be updated

1. Why root send mail (with subject cron) to user?
2. Why system is not retry to send again. Some mail queued for seversal years in mqueue !!
3. Any suggestion for stopping mail generated in mqueue ?

Thanks

[Bharat Katkar]

Hi,
Find the doc attached, should answer all of your questions.
All the best.
Regards,

[Jose Mosquera]

Hi,

To disable sendmail service you must set SENDMAIL_SERVER=0 into /etc/rc.config.d/mailservs file.
Then run:
#/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop

But this just disable incoming mail capability, always send capability keep active.

All cron activity, by default, is updated in the corresponding user in /var/mail directory. Of course, this needs Administrator's maintenance.

About your bigger pending queue, may be you have a procedure that is trying to send mails to external domains. In this case you must configure your /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file.
Pls test your send capability via a very simple comand:
#echo "Test"|sendmail -v your_name@your_domain.

For outstandind mails to externals domains you need make reference to your smtp engine mail server (Relay Server). So, you need define in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf the DS variable with a reachable Realy Serner name, in your case:
DS

To ensure that are reachable define it into /etc/hosts file.

Then you need restart sendmail service:
/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop
/sbin/init.d/sendmail start (if your sendmail service are disable an error message will be prompted)

Also ensure that your resolution path defined in /etc/nsswitch.conf is appropriate.

After this, pls try again the command:
#echo "Test"|sendmail -v your_name@your_domain

Rgds.

[Cheryl Griffin]

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[Geoff Wild]

To flush your queue, add this to cron:

# Make sure any queued mail is delivered, as sendmail isn't a daemon anymore
39 * * * * /usr/lib/sendmail -q



Cron sends to users stnd error...make sure you have a "> /dev/null 2>&1" at the end of your cron jobs.


Rgds...Geoff