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Date:      Wed, 23 Feb 2000 11:17:30 -0500
From:      Kevin Havener <kevin.havener@afccc.af.mil>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Exim question and /etc/hosts question
Message-ID:  <38B4081A.F6E14EE4@afccc.af.mil>

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If no one can anwer this, I'll take it to the exim mailing list.

I use fetchmail to get my mail from my ISP, but exim won't deliver it to
my local user(s). In /var/spool/exim/msglog I see this kind of stuff:

>2000-02-22 09:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 09:54:41 havo@localhost: lookuphost router deferred: host lookup 
>        did not complete
>2000-02-22 10:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 10:54:41 havo@localhost: lookuphost router deferred: host lookup 
>        did not complete
>2000-02-22 11:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 11:54:41 havo@localhost: lookuphost router deferred: host lookup 
>        did not complete
>2000-02-22 12:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 12:54:41 havo@localhost: lookuphost router deferred: host lookup 
>        did not complete
>2000-02-22 13:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 13:54:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 14:24:41 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 14:54:42 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached
>2000-02-22 15:24:43 havo@localhost: routing deferred: retry time not reached

Obviously exim is trying to use it's "lookuphost" router to deliver the
mail I've just fetched, but it can't do the DNS lookup or something.

Can anyone clue me in on the nuances here?  I've attempted to grok the
exim docs, the exim FAQs, and I even have a working Debian setup to
compare to.  The Debian setup uses a different version of exim, but it's
the same standalone box using my ISP as a smart host.  I don't use
things like FQDNs on either box, one is just named debian and the other
is freebsd.  My mail goes out fine, and fetches fine--I can see it in
/var/mail/somethingorother--it just doesn't get delivered to my user
mailbox. I'm using exim 3.13 on my freebsd box, and I'm using an
minimally modified version of /usr/local/etc/exim/configure.sample as my
configuration file.  Of course the vast version difference between the
old Debian exim and the new FreeBSD exim preclude just copying the
debian configuration file to the freebsd one.  Tried that...two steps
backward, no steps forward!

It may be related to poor configuration on my part.  I have this cvsup
problem where if I have in my /etc/hosts file:
		127.0.0.1	localhost
cvsup can't find it's local host name and dies. If I put this in
/etc/hosts/
		127.0.0.1	freebsd localhost  #can't remember the order here
cvsup works fine.  In this case though sendmail delayed the bootup
trying to do a DNS lookup.  I've since ditched sendmail because despite
the handbook and Lehey's book, I could not get it to send mail out to
the smarthost. I thought surely I could mimic my successful Debian/exim
setup ;-).

In a larger, more philosophical sense, is there a more straightforward
way to use FreeBSD as a home email device?  Exim, sendmail and friends
seem to be overkill for my case.  I guess I need the functionality of
Netscape messenger without all the gewgaws.  I've never used Pine or its
ilk except with sendmail or exim running in the background.  Would any
of these function as standalone poppers/MTAs.  Suggestions or thoughts
along these lines are welcome, too, as are RTFMs--just point me to the
right FM.

Kevin

What should be in the /etc/hosts file in my rather trivial setup of a
standalone box attached intermittently to the internet via dialup?  I
can't remember whether I've attempted to mess with this in my current
exim flailing around


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