The intent of this document is to answer some of the questions and comments that appear to meet the definition of 'frequently asked questions' about e-mail software under Linux.
This document and the corresponding UUCP and News 'HOWTO' documents collectively supersede the UUCP-NEWS-MAIL-FAQ that has previously been posted to comp.os.linux.announce.
New versions of this document will be periodically posted to
comp.os.linux.announce, comp.answers, and news.answers. They will also be
added to the various anonymous ftp sites who archive such information
including sunsite.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO.
In addition, you should be generally able to find this document on the
Linux WorldWideWeb home page at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html.
I am interested in any feedback, positive or negative, regarding the content of this document via e-mail. Definitely contact me if you find errors or obvious omissions.
I read, but do not necessarily respond to, all e-mail I receive. Requests for enhancements will be considered and acted upon based on that day's combination of available time, merit of the request, and daily blood pressure :-)
Flames will quietly go to /dev/null so don't bother.
In particular, the Linux filesystem standard for pathnames is an evolving thing. What's in this document is there for illustration only based on the current standard at the time that part of the document was written and in the paths used in the distributions or 'kits' I've personally seen. Please consult your particular Linux distribution(s) for the paths they use.
Feedback concerning the actual format of the document should go to the HOWTO
coordinator - Greg Hankins (gregh@sunsite.unc.edu).
The Mail-HOWTO is copyrighted (c)1994 Vince Skahan.
A verbatim copy may be reproduced or distributed in any medium physical or electronic without permission of the author. Translations are similarly permitted without express permission if it includes a notice on who translated it.
Short quotes may be used without prior consent by the author. Derivative work and partial distributions of the Mail-HOWTO must be accompanied with either a verbatim copy of this file or a pointer to the verbatim copy.
Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged; however, the author would appreciate being notified of any such distributions (as a courtesy).
In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to retain copyright on the HOWTO documents.
We further want that ALL information provided in the HOWTOS is disseminated.
If you have questions, please contact Greg Hankins, the Linux HOWTO coordinator,
at gregh@sunsite.unc.edu.
Of course, I disavow any potential liability for the contents of this document. Use of the concepts, examples, and/or other content of this document is entirely at your own risk.
There is plenty of exceptional material provided in the other Linux HOWTO documents and from the Linux DOC project. In particular, you might want to take a look at the following:
comp.mail.elm the ELM mail system.
comp.mail.mh The Rand Message Handling system.
comp.mail.mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions.
comp.mail.misc General discussions about computer mail.
comp.mail.multi-media Multimedia Mail.
comp.mail.mush The Mail User's Shell (MUSH).
comp.mail.sendmail the BSD sendmail agent.
comp.mail.smail the smail mail agent.
comp.mail.uucp Mail in the uucp environment.
The following is a non-inclusive set of books that will help...
Managing UUCP and USENET" from O'Reilly and Associates is in my
opinion the best book out there for figuring out the programs and
protocols involved in being a USENET site.
Unix Communications" from The Waite Group contains a nice
description of all the pieces (and more) and how they fit together.
Sendmail" from O'Reilly and Associates looks to be the
definitive reference on sendmail-v8 and sendmail+IDA. It's a "must have" for
anybody hoping to make sense out of sendmail without bleeding in the process.
The Internet Complete Reference" from Osborne is a fine reference
book that explains the various services available on Internet and
is a great source for information on news, mail, and various other Internet resources.
The Linux Networking Administrators' Guide" from Olaf Kirch of the
Linux DOC Project is available on the net and is also published by (at least)
O'Reilly and SSC. It makes a fine one-stop shopping to learn about
everything you ever imagined you'd need to know about Unix networking.
Shameless plug mode ON - the sendmail+IDA descriptions below have been
very much expanded and more fully explained in Chapter 15 of the Linux Networking
Administrators' Guide. I strongly recommend you grab a copy and
read it.
Also worth mentioning, is Chris Lewis' periodic posting on unix e-mail software,
which is available on rtfm.mit.edu in /pub/usenet/comp.mail.misc/UNIX_Email_Software_Survey_*
There is nothing "special" about configuring and running mail under Linux (any more). Accordingly, you almost certainly do *NOT* want to be posting generic mail-related questions to the comp.os.linux.* newsgroups.
Unless your posting is truly Linux-specific (ie, "please tell me what routers are already compiled into the SLS1.03 version of smail3.1.28") you should be asking your questions in one of the newsgroups or mailing lists referenced above.
Let me repeat that.
There is virtually no reason to post anything mail-related in the comp.os.linux hierarchy any more. There are existing newsgroups in the comp.mail.* hierarchy to handle *ALL* your questions.
IF YOU POST TO COMP.OS.LINUX.* FOR NON-LINUX-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE FOR HELP. THE ELECTRONIC MAIL EXPERTS HANG OUT IN THE PLACES INDICATED ABOVE AND GENERALLY DO NOT RUN LINUX.
POSTING TO THE LINUX HIERARCHY FOR NON-LINUX-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS WASTES YOUR TIME AND EVERYBODY ELSE'S...AND IT FREQUENTLY DELAYS YOU FROM GETTING THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.