SMTP Server .... Urgent!!!

[Girish_17]

Hi Friends,

I have to configure one of my HPUX server as SMTP server. HPUX server is running with 11.23v2 and H/w is rx2600.
Please let me the procedure of doing the same. Like which daemons i need to start and what all configuration files comes in to picture?
What are the parameters i should look into.

THanks for your valuable suggestions.

[Fred Ruffet]

Well... For a basic configuration, it is rather simple.

sendmail should already be installed on your server (it is part of basic HP-UX installation).

First edit config file (/etc/mail/sendmail.cf) and fix this points :
. Find line begining by DS and add your outgoing SMTP server; with no space between DS and servername. Like this : DSservername.
. Idem for line begining with DM and domain name. Domain name will be the right part of the @ in outgoing mails (for example bob@mycompany.com).
. Line begining with Dj may help if sendmail cannot resolve server's domain (localdomain in localhost.localdomain)

Once this is done, restart sendmail :
/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop
/sbin/init.d/sendmail start

Configure your clients to use this server as mail server. Go mail :)

Regards,

Fred

[Ralph Grothe]

I suppose you later will have to administer this MTA?
Then it's important that you chose an MTA that you are comfortable with and that fits in your "deployment policy".
In the end you don't want to run an open relay.
Because sendmail (which is one of the oldest and quite common on Unices) in the past has been a bit susceptible to exploits (most of which have been fixed meanwhile), and because it has been notorious for its unruly configuration, there have appeared quite a few alternatives.

Also have a look at these:

http://www.exim.org/
(I think it's default MTA on Debian and FreeBSD; ideal if you're into Perl for its utility scriptability)

http://www.postfix.org/
(offspring of an IBM project, but under GPL, which was developed with all the sendmail exploits at the time in mind;
quite popular, also for its ease of configuration compared to sendmail, amongst Linux admins)

http://www.qmail.org/
(I think not under GPL, but also free for use; strong ramification of spool directories)

[Girish_17]

Thanks fred for your reply but i have to cross check whether the what the SMTP server is how check that one, any command as such.

I had changed sendmail.cf as

DSservername
DMdomainname

This is the domain in which server is residing. Actually we have existing domain server but i don't want to disturb it but i am using the same domain name what that DNS server is for. Should that matter.

NOw i refer to the SMTP server as servername.domainname.com

Is that OK?

After doing this changes i am able to send messages to SMTP server. PLease let me know where i have gone wrong.

Thanks a lot.
Regards,

[Girish_17]

After doing this changes i am *not* able to send messages to SMTP server. PLease let me know where i have gone wrong.

[Fred Ruffet]

Try to send a message, and post output of :
tail -20 /var/adm/syslog/mail.log

What you put in front of DS is not your servername. It is SMTP servername of your ISP.

Regards,

Fred

[Girish_17]

Fred,
Thanks again.
I have to make my Server as a SMTP server and not any other external server, This will be used internally for testing only. ALso i would like to put the verfiy option (VRFY) off.

Regards,

[Fred Ruffet]

If you want your server to be an SMTP server, you will need someone to get mail it sends. Two possibilities :
. Your server sends only mail to local accounts (users defined on the server itself) and then it should be OK without any particular config.
. Your server has to send mail to the server where your users get mail from (maybe POP3 or IMAP server)

Regards,

Fred

[Bill Hassell · Accepted solution]

Make sure that sendmail has been started. To stop or start sendmail, use the commands:

/sbin/init.d/sendmail stop

/sbin/init.d/sendmail start

There should be no errors starting sendmail. Try sending a message to root with mailx:

mailx -sTesting root < /e/tc/issue

Then check the mail queues with:

mailq

If you see stuck mesages, you need to look at the mail log in /var/adm/syslog/mail.log and post the error messages.

[Girish_17]

Thanks to all .. i made it finally.
Usefull and exact suggestions. Simply Great!!!
Regards,
Girish