Re: Please help - configuring e-mail

["D'Arcy J.M. Cain" <darcy%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

I have Cc'd and redirected followups to netbsd-help%NetBSD.org.@localhost  This
question is not i386 specific.

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:39:00 +0100
"netbsd unix" <nbsdold%gmx.net@localhost> wrote:
> I am trying to configure NetBSD to send and receive e-mails. I read the 
> chapter 26 e-mail of the NetBSD guide, but this does not really bring me 
> forward. I am using NetBSD 4.0 as a desktop without X. All distribution sets 
> are installed except X. All I want is to be able to be a home user in a 
> text-only NetBSD system. I would also like to mention, I once tried NetBSD 
> with X and Sylpheed on the same machine with the same connection, and it 
> worked flawlessly.

It is possible for an MUA (Mail User Agent or "client") to work even if
you don't have a local MTA (Mail Transfer Agent or "server") if you are
set up to send outgoing email through a server that trusts you.  Have
you tried elm or mutt on your text only system?

> I tried to follow the steps in the guide, but when I had to do
> 
> postmap /etc/postfix/generic
> 
> as described in Chapter 26, it just complained that the hostname is empty. 
> How do I set the hostname? I have no idea, I tried various things (which I 
> don't remember, sorry - I tried to set it in rc.conf, in /etc/hosts, and with 
> the command hostname).

Are you sure that you have "hostname=mybox" or whatever you call your
machine?

> I tried the example
> 
> sendmail myusername
> 
> but I get nowhere anything (I am quite sure I did it correctly, I tried many 
> times):

I guess sendmail is looking for an SMTP server and you don't have one
yet.  Try this command:

date | mail -s TEST myusername

I believe that this does not use the local MTA.

> OK, so what do I have to do in order to set up e-mail? I want to know the 
> STEPS!

Try going through /etc/postfix/main.cf and let me know what changes you
do to get it going.  Did you perhaps add a myhostname or mydomain
value?  The default (not defined) should work in most cases.

> So far, I understand it as follows; however, when I tried it yesterday, it 
> failed:
> 
> in /etc/hosts add:
> 10.0.0.217 mynet
> (I am in an internal network of my dormitory, I always get the same IP when I 
> connect, which is 10.0.0.217.)
> 
> in /etc/rc.conf add:
> mynet=10.0.0.217

I think the guide assumes that you have already set up hostname if you
have a running system.  Let me know if the above suggestion works for
you.  Perhaps I can add a note to that area of the guide.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy%NetBSD.org@localhost>
http://www.NetBSD.org/