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Date:      Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:04:40 -0600 (CST)
From:      Dave Bodenstab <imdave@mcs.net>
To:        questions@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   sendmail (groan!)
Message-ID:  <199711222104.PAA15758@imdave.pr.mcs.net>

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I didn't find this topic in the handbook -- I'm surprised this
hasn't come up.  

I setup two machines connected by lp0 10.0.0.1 <--> 10.0.0.2
The first is connected via ppp to the net with a static ip
when I'm connected via a dial-up line
Sendmail works fine on the first system -- when the dial-up
is not active, any email destined for the outside is queued
with ``deferred -- host name lookup failure''  -- this is OK
since it goes out the next time I connect.  Mail to the second
machine also works fine.  

  $ cat /etc/hosts.conf
  hosts
  bind
  $ cat /etc/hosts
    :
    :
  127.0.0.1	base486.mcs.net base486
  127.0.0.1	localhost.mcs.net localhost
  10.0.0.1	base486.mcs.net base486
  10.0.0.2	base586.mcs.net base586
    :
    :

Ping/telnet/etc. all work.

On 10.0.0.2 (the second machine), I can't get sendmail to use the
host file.  It insists on somehow trying to contact a nameserver,
and thus always fails to send mail -- it just queues it.  Here's:

  $ cat /etc/hosts.conf
  hosts
  $ cat /etc/hosts
    :
    :
  127.0.0.1	localhost.mcs.net localhost
  10.0.0.1	base486.mcs.net base486
  10.0.0.2	base586.mcs.net base586
    :
    :

Even when I configure sendmail with FEATURE(nullclient, base486.mcs.net), 
it fails to use the /etc/hosts file!  All mail is again queued with
host name lookup failure.

There must be lot's of folks with a home network, with one machine
being the one that connects to the outside world.  How can sendmail
be configured so that local email is transferred withing the local net,
(even when the dial-up connection is not active) and external email
is queued/sent by the ``gateway'' or ``mailhub''?

Do I actually have to install a name server (ugh)?

Thanks.

Dave Bodenstab
imdave@mcs.net




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