[ydl-gen] Re: Setting up sendmail to send mail (via SMTP)

[Eric Dunbar]

On 16/08/06, Eric Dunbar <eric.dunbar at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all, I'm trying to make my server a little more user-friendly for my
> friends and for that to  happen I need to add the ability for the server to
> SEND mail.
>
> My ISP (Bell Sympatico) blocks all attempts to deliver mail directly to
> another mail server. The only way for me to get mail out is by connecting to
> my ISP's mail SMTP mail server using a username and password, over SSL.
>
> Does anyone have any idea how to set sendmail (or another MTA) up on YDL to
> send mail from the server (a Gallery installation, to be specific) to a
> public internet address?
>
> I've searched far and wide for this but the language surrounding sendmail is
> quite technical (beyond my geek skills) [I don't know what question to ask
> of Google yet ;-P].

Well, I managed to answer my own question by stumbling on the right
web page at sendmail's site:
<http://www.sendmail.org/~ca/email/auth.html> under the section 'Using
sendmail as a client with AUTH'.

On a hunch I changed an extra setting alongside the preferences
settings. Using the Webmin sendmail interface I made the following
additional change:

Change #1 (not listed at page cited above):
"Send outgoing mail via host" is now set to my ISP's mail server (in
my case: smtphm.sympatico.ca

... although, it may actually be referenced in this paragraph on that
page (just Webmin provides an easier way to get at it ;-):

" Note: if FEATURE(`authinfo') is used, then the hostname in the map
entry must match exactly the hostname of the ISP mailserver as
explained in cf/README: Note: searches for domain parts or IP nets are
only performed if the access map is used; if the authinfo feature is
used then only up to three lookups are performed (two exact matches,
one default)."

Change #2:
Modified in the file in the middle was
dnl define(`SMART_HOST',`smtphm.sympatico.ca')

Added to the file at the end was...

1. define(`SMART_HOST',`smtphm.sympatico.ca')dnl
2. define(`confAUTH_MECHANISMS', `EXTERNAL GSSAPI DIGEST-MD5 CRAM-MD5
LOGIN PLAIN')dnl
3. FEATURE(`authinfo',`hash /etc/mail/auth/client-info')dnl

NOTE:  lines 1 and 2 at the end are DUPLICATES of lines in the file
(origina linel #2 is exactly the same as the default). Could this
duplication cause problems (right now it seems to be working nicely)?