sendmail - external mail

[Omar Alvi_1]

Hi,

I have a case where sendmail seems to be configured correctly but mail is not sent to external recipient

Theis message appears in the mailbox
----------------------------
Final-Recipient: RFC822; oak@cem.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.2
Remote-MTA: DNS; cem.com
Last-Attempt-Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:13:41 +0300 (WAT)

--QAA19478.1062335621/prod.cem.com
Content-Type: message/rfc822
Return-Path:
Received: (from root@localhost)
by prod.cem.com (8.9.3 (PHNE_25184)/8.9.3) id QAA19476
for oak@cem.com; Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:13:41 +0300 (WAT)
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:13:41 +0300 (WAT)
From: root
Message-Id: <200308311313.QAA19476@prod.cem.com>
this is a test

--QAA19478.1062335621/prod.cem.com--

the /var/adm/syslog/mail.log shows the following

Aug 31 16:13:41 prod sendmail[19476]: QAA19476: from=root, size=16, class=0, p
ri=30016, nrcpts=1, msgid=<200308311313.QAA19476@prod.cem.com>, relay=root@
localhost
Aug 31 16:13:41 prod sendmail[19478]: QAA19476: to=oak@cem.com, ctladdr=
root (0/3), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=esmtp, relay=cem.com, stat
=Host unknown (Name server: cem.com: host not found)
Aug 31 16:13:41 prod sendmail[19478]: QAA19476: QAA19478: DSN: Host unknown (N
ame server: cem.com: host not found)
Aug 31 16:13:41 prod sendmail[19478]: QAA19478: to=root, delay=00:00:00, xdela
y=00:00:00, mailer=local, stat=Sent
Aug 31 16:19:31 prod /sbin/init.d/sendmail[19990]: #### rebooted ####
Aug 31 16:19:31 prod sendmail[19997]: alias database /etc/mail/aliases rebuilt
by root
Aug 31 16:19:31 prod sendmail[19997]: /etc/mail/aliases: 7 aliases, longest 9
bytes, 88 bytes total
Aug 31 16:19:31 prod sendmail[19999]: starting daemon (8.9.3 (PHNE_25184)): SM
TP+queueing@00:30:00
Any help is appreciated

Regards,

-Alvi

[Steven E. Protter]

Couple notes here:

1) sendmail version is old, you should consider 8.11 from HP

2) You should check and see if this is simply a dns problem

dig cem.com
nslookup cem.com

If you don't get an answer, then the hostname simply could not get resolved. Look at /etc/resolv.conf(make sure you can reach the dns servers defined there), /etc/nsswitch.conf (dns vs files on host resolution) and and verify that the setup is valid.

You say your setup is good, but you don't tell us much about it. Are you using smart relay?(DS directive in sendmail.cf)

This diagnostic might help you prove whether its a host resolution or a sendmail setup issue.


sendmail -v -d8.99 -d38.99 oak@cem.com

type a line of text

.


If you get what you got in your logs, look at networking and hostname resolution. Once that is fixed, the email should go through.

SEP

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi Omar,

This is a classic resolution problem.
Do the following:

nslookup
>set server ip_of_DNS_server
>set type=mx
>cem.com

You better get an MX record for cem.com. If you don't - there's your problem.

Rgds,
Jeff

[Omar Alvi_1]

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestions.

Well, DNS is not being used. Only /etc/hosts

The output for the diagnostic test suggested by Steven.

prod:/>> sendmail -v -d8.99 -d38.99 oak@cem.com
seq_map_parse(aliases.files, )
map_init(sequence:aliases.files, NULL, 0)
sequence:aliases.files NULL: valid
map_init(implicit:Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 0)
wrong pass (pass = 0, rebuildable = 1)
map_init(host:host, NULL, 0)
host:host NULL: valid
map_init(switch:aliases, aliases, 0)
switch_map_open(aliases, aliases, 0)
switch_map_find => 1
files
map_stack[0] = sequence:aliases.files
switch:aliases aliases: valid
map_init(dequote:dequote, NULL, 0)
dequote:dequote NULL: valid
map_init(host:resolve, NULL, 0)
host:resolve NULL: valid
map_init(sequence:aliases.files, NULL, 1)
wrong pass (pass = 1, rebuildable = 0)
map_init(implicit:Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 1)
impl_map_open(Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 0)
hash_map_open(Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 0)
impl_map_lookup(Alias0, @)
db_map_lookup(Alias0, @)
implicit:Alias0 /etc/mail/aliases: valid
map_init(host:host, NULL, 1)
wrong pass (pass = 1, rebuildable = 0)
map_init(switch:aliases, aliases, 1)
wrong pass (pass = 1, rebuildable = 0)
map_init(dequote:dequote, NULL, 1)
wrong pass (pass = 1, rebuildable = 0)
map_init(host:resolve, NULL, 1)
wrong pass (pass = 1, rebuildable = 0)
getcanonname(cem.com), trying files
text_getcanonname(cem.com)
getcanonname(cem.com), failed, stat=68 [ enter key ]

this is atest [ enter key] [ the message that I entered]

closemaps: closing aliases.files (NULL)
closemaps: closing Alias0 (/etc/mail/aliases)
impl_map_close(Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 12a3)
db_map_close(Alias0, /etc/mail/aliases, 12a3)
closemaps: closing host (NULL)
closemaps: closing aliases (aliases)
closemaps: closing dequote (NULL)
closemaps: closing resolve (NULL)

haven't tried the dig utility, buit nslookup returns everything fine with the exchange server and local machine, using /etc/hosts however.

I am attaching the procedure I follow for settingup sendmail. Nothing complicated really. And i've had other systems running sendmail fine with only this configuration.

And jeff, as for your suggested use for nslookup, I get "unrecognized command" for set server, and "invalid option" for set type=mx. that is when I entered the IP address and the second line as is.

thanks and Regards,

-Alvi

[Omar Alvi_1]

Any ideas anyone ???

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi Alvi,

For me it looks like simple nslookup problem to resolve cem.com.

Check your /etc/hosts and make sure you have cem.com listed in there. You should be seeing an entry.

128.242.82.225 cem.com

-Sri

[john korterman]

Hi,

is the file /etc/nsswitch.conf present on the server. If yes, what is its content?

regards,
John K.

[Omar Alvi_1]

Thnaks for your help

resolution seems fine to me at least, that is if nslookup is enough to confirm this. DNS is not used

prod:/usr/mail>> nslookup cem.com
Using /etc/hosts on: prod

looking up FILES
Name: cem.com
Address: 222.22.1.9

prod:/usr/mail>> nslookup nt_exch
Using /etc/hosts on: prod

looking up FILES
Name: nt_exch
Address: 222.22.1.9

In /etc/hosts

222.22.1.9 cem.com

In /etc/nsswitch.conf I have the following

hosts: files
aliases: files

Regards,

-Alvi

[john korterman]

Hi,

are the two lines you mentioned in /etc/nsswitch.conf the whole content of the file?

If that is the case then - for a test - try /etc/nsswitch.conf with this content:

hosts: files
services: files
protocols: files
networks: files
rpc: files
netgroup: files
automount: files
aliases: files


regards,
John K.

[Omar Alvi_1]

Thanks for the input John,

I do have all of those entries in /etc/nsswitch.conf but still no progress.

I have attaches the entire procedure I followed for configuring sendmail, and this procedure has worked perfectly before.

-Alvi

[john korterman]

Hi again,

this may be obsoleted, but might still work:

Uncomment the following line in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf:

O ServiceSwitchFile=/etc/mail/service.switch

Create /etc/mail/service.switch with two lines like these:

hosts files
aliases files

restart sendmail and try again.

Hope it helps,
John K.

[Omar Alvi_1]

no, still not running.

I think there maybe something small, since I've had sendmail running before.

I configured it, as stated in the attachment, on another machine as well ... buit still no success.

Anything else that I should try?

Thanks for everyon's patience and assistance.

-Alvi

[Omar Alvi_1]

no, still not running.

I think there maybe something small, since I've had sendmail running before.

I configured it, as stated in the attachment, on another machine as well ... buit still no success.

Anything else that I should try?

Thanks for everyon's patience and assistance.

-Alvi

[Omar Alvi_1]

no, still not running.

I think there maybe something small, since I've had sendmail running before.

I configured it, as stated in the attachment, on another machine as well ... buit still no success.

Anything else that I should try?

Thanks for everyon's patience and assistance.

-Alvi

[john korterman]

Hi again Omar,
sorry it did not work: I have tried to look into the diagnostic output and my guess - I stress that this is just a guess - is that the use of "files", i.e. /etc/hosts is effective, as it says:
getcanonname(cem.com), trying files
My next guess is then that there is a problem concerning the entry of cem.com in /etc/hosts. A wild guess is that there is a garbage character in between 222.22.1.9 and cem.com
Another guess is that it could be a problem having two separate lines in /etc/hosts with the same ip address. Just a thought: have you tried temporaily commenting the nt_exch entry out?

regards,
John K.

[Omar Alvi_1]

Thanks a lot John

Now let me tell you that there are quite a few duplicate entries in the /etc/hosts.

Here is the relevant part of the /etc/hosts

222.22.1.9 cem.com
222.22.1.1 cem2.com
222.22.1.1 nt_exch2
222.22.1.9 nt_exch
222.22.1.2 nt_alt_exch
222.22.1.2 cem.com

How could I have overlooked this.

Usually the format should be like this

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx domain_name hostname

right?

I don't know why the administrators have set it up like this.

They have set up two exchange servers, both resolve and both work. I myself don't know what this third one is.

So is this probably the cause of the problem? How does this effect the name resolution. I can see with this present configuration we can resolve each of the six entries individually using nslookup.

Thanks ... really appreciate your response.

Regards,

-Alvi

[john korterman]

Hi again Omar,

honestly, I do not know if it is a problem with multiple entries for one ip adress - perhaps not as long as the names used are different.
However, it seems that you have two different ip adresses for cem.com:

222.22.1.9 cem.com
222.22.1.2 cem.com

and that is more likely to cause a problem. Can you uncomment the one you do not use?

regards,
John K.

[U.SivaKumar_2]

Hi,

/etc/hosts file is parsed from top to bottom. So duplicate entries may not be the problem.
Anyway let a single valid entry remain for cem.com in /etc/hosts

#mv /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.bak

Edit /etc/nsswitch.conf and put this entry.

hosts: files [NOTFOUND=continue]

restart sendmail.

regards,

U.SivaKumar