How do I configure mail?

[Bill Mayhew]

Indeed, sendmail.cf can be a study in frustration, considering the
many OEM versions thereof and the copious (just kidding) amounts of
documentation available.  Seriously, if you know anybody that has
access to an HP-9000 system, read HP's book on network
configuration.  It has a particularly lucid treatise on sendmail.

It is tough being a uucp island and living with sendmail.  It can
be done.  I am running an AT&T 3b1 ('til I get my II si, are you
listening, Santa?) at home and doing just that.  I wanted sendmail
so that I could have reasonably RFC-compliant headers instead of
the meager output from the stock /bin/mail that comes with the
3b1 system.

Basically, what you need to do is to add a(some) line(s) to rule
set 0 to divert all lines that are in domain style to a mailer of
your own definition.  Say, the following added to the bottom of
rule set 0:


# General disposition of remote mail.
R$*<$*.$=T>$*		$1<$2>$4		strip fake domain
R$*<@$->:$+		$#uusmart$@$2$:$1$3	let remote process it
R$*<@$+>$*		$#uusmart$@$2$:$1$3	ditto
R$*<$*>$*		$#error$:Unknown address $1$2$3		barf!


Now, set up a uux command to forward everything that appears to be
non-local:


############################################################
#
#      REMOTE INTERNET SMART-HOST PROCESSING WITH UUCP RELAY
#
############################################################

Muusmart,	P=/usr/bin/uux, F=CDFhMmsu, S=15, R=25,
	A=uux -a$g - $r!rmail ($u@$h)

# Mailer-specific sender rewriting (From:)
S15
R$+			$@$>11$1	

# Mailer-specific recipient rewriting (To:/CC:)
S25
# None needed.


Note that $r is the variable that contains the name of the remote
host.  You should disable local attempts to do nslookups, etc.  I
don't have the A/UX sendmail.cf right here, but it should be easy
to turn that off.  Provided the other end of your connection is a
smart mailer, it should work.  Of coruse, you need to make
arragnements with the administrator on the other end to agree to
handle your mail.

This isn't the prettiest approach, but it does work for me.  I'm an
EE, not a CS person, so I have a bit of an excuse.  I'd love to
hear any better ideas.


==Bill==
-- 
Bill Mayhew      NEOUCOM Computer Services Department
Rootstown, OH  44272-9995  USA    phone: 216-325-2511
wtm at uhura.neoucom.edu   ....!uunet!aablue!neoucom!wtm
via internet: (140.220.001.001)