I decided to try a bunch of tests to see which configurations would make Postfix work. I've now had some success and need to regroup and "analyze" the results.

See AboutThesePages.

Contents

General Information for All Trials

Test Emails

I will send an email from the Linux box (running Postfix) to rhkramer@users.sourceforge.net. I should receive that email back on my windows box as it will be forwarded from SourceForge to rhkramer@fast.net. Note: When this didn't work from the Linux box, I tried it from the Windows box (Office6). It took several hours to see the mail, even though the received headers don't indicate that much of a delay. I waited at least that long for the mail from the Linux box.

The Linux Box

from /etc/hosts:

127.0.0.1       localhost.localdomain   localhost
192.168.0.8     System8.Home    System8

Other Observations

When checking the headers on the test mails from Windows, I noticed that the first Received header included Office6, the "host name" of the Windows box -- I was surprised, because I thought maybe fast.net would only accept emails from rhkramer@fastPLEASENOSPAM.net.

Trial 6

Not really a change in configuration, but I finally remembered that maybe I needed to kick the sendmail queue, which I did by entering sendmail -q (from root?). In very short order, the emails addressed to rhkramer@usersPLEASENOSPAM.sourceforge.net for tests 1, 2, 4, and 5 arrived at the Windows box. Only test 3 did not arrive. To date, none of the emails addressed to rhkramer@fastPLEASENOSPAM.net have arrived at the Windows box, I think because Postfix on the Linux box assumed that was a local delivery. Test 4 had the best results in terms of showing the from address in the mail headers -- shown as "From: rhkramer@fastPLEASENOSPAM.net (Dad)".

I now want to sift through these results for a little while and try to decide what is the best configuration, or what I still need to know.

Trial 5

Just like trial 4 except enabled myhostname and myorigin in main.cf:

myhostname=fast.net
myorigin=fast.net

Results (to root):

From dad@fast.net  Sat Mar  9 13:40:22 2002
>From nobody  Sat Mar  9 13:40:22 2002
Return-Path: <dad@fast.net>
Delivered-To: root@fast.net
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id C6A3D4D3; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 13:40:22 -0500 (EST)
To: root@fast.net
Subject: subject test5
Message-Id: <20020309184022.C6A3D4D3@fast.net>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 13:40:22 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
 
text test5

Results (to dad) -- received two copies -- one to dad, one to rhkramer@fastPLEASENOSPAM.net -- my first clue, I may need to disable the rhkramer to dad alias -- maybe nothing is going to the "real" fast.net. (OK, but the stuff to sourceforge should be going!) The following is the rhkramer delivery:

From dad@fast.net  Sat Mar  9 13:40:17 2002
>From dad  Sat Mar  9 13:40:17 2002
Return-Path: <dad@fast.net>
Delivered-To: rhkramer@fast.net
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 1C9414D3; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 13:40:17 -0500 (EST)
To: rhkramer@fast.net
Subject: subject test5
Message-Id: <20020309184017.1C9414D3@fast.net>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 13:40:17 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
 
text test5

Trial 4

Just like trial 3 except I changed the canonical file to read:

dad@System8.Home rhkramer@fast.net

Conclusions:

Results (from root):

From rhkramer@fast.net  Sat Mar  9 12:26:06 2002
>From nobody  Sat Mar  9 12:26:06 2002
Return-Path: <rhkramer@fast.net>
Delivered-To: root@system8.home
Received: by System8.Home (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 471674D0; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 12:26:06 -0500 (EST)
To: root@System8.Home
Subject: subject test4
Message-Id: <20020309172606.471674D0@System8.Home>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 12:26:06 -0500 (EST)
From: rhkramer@fast.net (Dad)
 
text test4

Results (from dad): nothing received

Trial 3

Trying to recreate the trials of around June, 2001, at least one of which worked (but I didn't wait long enough for results, and consequently was never sure exactly which worked).

Conclusions:

Results (from root):

From dad@System8.Home  Sat Mar  9 09:17:09 2002
>From nobody  Sat Mar  9 09:17:09 2002
Return-Path: <dad@System8.Home>
Delivered-To: root@system8.home
Received: by System8.Home (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id BA7F74CD; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 09:17:09 -0500 (EST)
To: root@System8.Home
Subject: subject test3
Message-Id: <20020309141709.BA7F74CD@System8.Home>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 09:17:09 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@System8.Home (Dad)
 
text test3

Results (from dad):

From dad@System8.Home  Sat Mar  9 09:17:13 2002
>From dad  Sat Mar  9 09:17:14 2002
Return-Path: <dad@System8.Home>
Delivered-To: dad@system8.home
Received: by System8.Home (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id D00C94CD; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 09:17:13 -0500 (EST)
To: dad@System8.Home
Subject: subject test3
Message-Id: <20020309141713.D00C94CD@System8.Home>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 09:17:13 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@System8.Home (Dad)
 
text test3

Setup:

/etc/postfix/main.cf
# rhk's first attempt to set up, as a standalone "dialup"
relayhost=relay.fast.net
defer_transports=smtp
disable_dns_lookups=yes
# myhostname=fast.net
# myorigin=fast.net
canonical_maps=hash:/etc/postfix/canonical
 
/etc/postfix/aliases
# my aliases
# dad:          rhkramer
rhkramer:       dad
 
/etc/postfix/canonical
dad@fast.net rhkramer@fast.net
# dad@System8.Home rhkramer@fast.net

Trial 2

Just like trial 1 except:

• I sent an email to dad but not to rhkramer@sourceforgePLEASENOSPAM.net
• I changed the canonical file to read

dad@System8.Home rhkramer@fast.net

Conclusions:

• Based on looking at the results in the headers of the email received at root, the change in the canonical file made no difference (in this case!). After about one hour, no messages received on the Windows box.
• One thing to be learned from trial 2 and 1 is that there was nothing here to allow delivery of the email addressed to rhkramer@fastPLEASENOSPAM.net to be delivered locally. Last year I created a user account named rhkramer, but I don't think that's the right approach.

Results (from root):

From dad@fast.net  Sat Mar  9 07:18:54 2002
>From nobody  Sat Mar  9 07:18:54 2002
Return-Path: <dad@fast.net>
Delivered-To: root@fast.net
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 8C4654B0; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 07:18:54 -0500 (EST)
To: root@fast.net
Subject: subject test2
Message-Id: <20020309121854.8C4654B0@fast.net>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 07:18:54 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
Status: RO
 
text test2

Results (from dad):

Return-Path: <>
Delivered-To: dad@fast.net
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 07:18:46 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
To: dad@fast.net
 
This is a MIME-encapsulated message.
 
--2DB774B0.1015676326/fast.net
Content-Description: Notification
Content-Type: text/plain
 
This is the Postfix program at host fast.net.
 
I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned
below could not be delivered to one or more destinations.
 
For further assistance, please contact <postmaster@fast.net>
 
If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the message returned below.
 
                        The Postfix program
 
<rhkramer@fast.net>: unknown user: "rhkramer"

--2DB774B0.1015676326/fast.net
Content-Description: Undelivered Message
Content-Type: message/rfc822
 
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 2DB774B0; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 07:18:46 -0500 (EST)
To: rhkramer@fast.net
Subject: subject test2
Message-Id: <20020309121846.2DB774B0@fast.net>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 07:18:46 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
 
text test2
 
--2DB774B0.1015676326/fast.net--

Trial 1

Sent mails like:

[dad@System8 dad]$ echo "text test1" | mail -s "subject test1" rhkramer@users.sourceforge.net
[dad@System8 dad]$ echo "text test1" | mail -s "subject test1" rhkramer@fast.net
[dad@System8 dad]$ echo "text test1" | mail -s "subject test1" root

When the first two didn't work (after waiting until the following day), I tried the third just to see if postfix was working locally. This is the result (from elm, for root):

From dad@fast.net  Sat Mar  9 06:38:20 2002
>From nobody  Sat Mar  9 06:38:20 2002
Return-Path: <dad@fast.net>
Delivered-To: root@fast.net
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 373A54AE; Sat,  9 Mar 2002 06:38:20 -0500 (EST)
To: root@fast.net
Subject: subject test1
Message-Id: <20020309113820.373A54AE@fast.net>
Date: Sat,  9 Mar 2002 06:38:20 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
X-IMAPbase: 1015673935 25
Status: RO
X-Status:
X-Keywords:
X-UID: 25
 
text test1

Results (from dad):

Return-Path: <>
Delivered-To: dad@fast.net
Date: Fri,  8 Mar 2002 18:41:53 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
To: dad@fast.net
 
This is a MIME-encapsulated message.
 
--076A24AE.1015630913/fast.net
Content-Description: Notification
Content-Type: text/plain
 
This is the Postfix program at host fast.net.
 
I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned
below could not be delivered to one or more destinations.
 
For further assistance, please contact <postmaster@fast.net>
 
If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the message returned below.
 
                        The Postfix program
 
<rhkramer@fast.net>: unknown user: "rhkramer"

--076A24AE.1015630913/fast.net
Content-Description: Undelivered Message
Content-Type: message/rfc822
 
Received: by fast.net (Postfix, from userid 501)
        id 076A24AE; Fri,  8 Mar 2002 18:41:52 -0500 (EST)
To: rhkramer@fast.net
Subject: subject test1
Message-Id: <20020308234152.076A24AE@fast.net>
Date: Fri,  8 Mar 2002 18:41:52 -0500 (EST)
From: dad@fast.net (Dad)
 
text test1
 
--076A24AE.1015630913/fast.net--

The setup:

file /etc/postfix/main.cf 0644 root root
# rhk's first attempt to set up, as a standalone "dialup"
relayhost=relay.fast.net
defer_transports=smtp
disable_dns_lookups=yes
mynetworks= 192.168.0.0/24, 127.0.0.0/8
myhostname=fast.net
mydomain=fast.net
myorigin=fast.net
inet_interfaces=all
mydestination=$myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, $mydomain
default_transport=smtp
masquerade_domains=fast.net
canonical_maps=hash:/etc/postfix/canonical
 
file /etc/postfix/aliases 0644 root root
# my aliases
# mail addressed to the (local) user on the left is delivered to
# the (local) user on the right I added local, above.  Does this
# mean that only mail addressed to rhkramer alone or
# rhkramer@System8.Home is delivered to dad?  (For example.)
# dad:          rhkramer
# rhkramer:       dad
 
/etc/postfix/canonical 0644 root root
# By default, this file is not used.  See sample-canonical.cf
# postfix replaces the address on the left with the address on 
# the right (rewrite) on "outgoing" mail
# dad@fast.net rhkramer@fast.net
dad@Home.System8 rhkramer@fast.net
 
commands to run afterward:
newaliases
postmap /etc/postfix/canonical
service postfix restart (or reload?)

Contributors

• RandyKramer - 08 Mar 2002
• <If you edit this page, add your name here, move this to the next line>

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