Passing Mail through postfix to EIMS

Question

Passing Mail through postfix to EIMS

Hello,

I need help in trying to configure my OS X 10.4 server with email services. I am running EIMS (Eudora Internet Mail Server) 3.2 for email services and would like to continue to do so. My problem is that I have some php scripts that need to send email. PHP assumes you are using the sendmail command or equivalent. How do I configure postfix to just pass the email from php to EIMS? Currently postfix realizes it is trying to send mail to the same server and considers it a mail loop and refuses to forward the email to EIMS. (I have also tried the EIMS command line tool baqut it doesn't support the -t option so it doesn't work.)

I would appreciate any advice you have.

- Brent

G4 Tower, Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Feb 21, 2006 7:25 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 4, 2006 1:17 AM in response to Brent Deverman

As far as I found out there is no way to properly do this and thus I had to resort to sending mail through postfix.

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Answer 2

osXwookie

Level 1

145 points

Apr 6, 2006 4:38 PM in response to Brent Deverman

Why not modify the php.ini to point to a command line equivalent of sendmail for EIMS.

You can also use a php script that utilizes an external SMTP which you could then point to EIMS.

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Answer 3

Apr 6, 2006 7:10 PM in response to osXwookie

command line utility does not adequately work and support the right parameters.

don't want to rewrite the third party code so a php script is also not an option.

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Answer 4

osXwookie

Level 1

145 points

Apr 7, 2006 8:40 AM in response to Brent Deverman

Third party meaning turnkey? Like a blog software or CMS like textpattern? I am sure there is a simple way to modify one function that send mail to utilize an alternate mail server other than that which resides on "localhost" or using the sendmail cli SMTP.

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Answer 5

May 28, 2006 11:43 PM in response to osXwookie

Hello,

I have to revisit this topic now because I have changed my server to use open directory and in the process, I had to change the hostname of my server from shenzhenparty to shenzhenparty.com. Now postfix is able to detect a mail loop again.

I have found out that I should be setting up what is called a "Null Client" so that postfix delivers mail to another server and doesn't try to deliver mail to itself. I got the instructions for the null client from here:

http://www.postfix.org/STANDARDCONFIGURATION_README.html#nullclient

The problem is is that I have the EIMS mail server running on the same machine and so when postfix tries to connect to it, it still is able to detect that it is sending to the same machine and thus it refuses to connect to the other mail server as in the log below:

----------
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/cleanup[23298]: 506E15F725C: message-id=<20060529063021.506E15F725C@shenzhenparty.com>
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/qmgr[23034]: 506E15F725C: from=<info@shenzhenparty.com>, size=868, nrcpt=2 (queue active)
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/error[23301]: 506E15F725C: to=<classifieds@shenzhenparty.com>, relay=none, delay=0, status=bounced (local delivery is disabled)
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/smtp[23302]: warning: host mail.shenzhenparty.com[210.17.235.228] greeted me with my own hostname shenzhenparty.com
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/smtp[23302]: warning: host mail.shenzhenparty.com[210.17.235.228] replied to HELO/EHLO with my own hostname shenzhenparty.com
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/smtp[23302]: 506E15F725C: to=<szclassifieds@gmail.com>, relay=mail.shenzhenparty.com[210.17.235.228], delay=0, status=bounced (mail for mail.shenzhenparty.com loops back to myself)
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/cleanup[23298]: 5B1C55F725E: message-id=<20060529063021.5B1C55F725E@shenzhenparty.com>
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/qmgr[23034]: 5B1C55F725E: from=, size=2809, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/qmgr[23034]: 506E15F725C: removed
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/error[23305]: 5B1C55F725E: to=<info@shenzhenparty.com>, relay=none, delay=0, status=bounced (local delivery is disabled)
May 29 14:30:21 shenzhenparty postfix/qmgr[23034]: 5B1C55F725E: removed
----------

Postfix seems to have an option for everything, doesn't it have an option to disable this loop back check? i have looked through all the options and have not found a way. Below is my postfix configuration in case that helps:

shenzhenparty:~ deverman$ postconf -n
command_directory = /usr/sbin
config_directory = /etc/postfix
daemon_directory = /usr/libexec/postfix
debug peerlevel = 2
html_directory = no
inet_interfaces = localhost
local_transport = error:local delivery is disabled
mail_owner = postfix
mailbox sizelimit = 0
mailq_path = /usr/bin/mailq
manpage_directory = /usr/share/man
mydomain = shenzhenparty.com
mydomain_fallback = localhost
mynetworks_style = host
myorigin = $mydomain
newaliases_path = /usr/bin/newaliases
queue_directory = /private/var/spool/postfix
readme_directory = /usr/share/doc/postfix
relayhost = mail.shenzhenparty.com
sample_directory = /usr/share/doc/postfix/examples
sendmail_path = /usr/sbin/sendmail
setgid_group = postdrop
smtpd tls_keyfile =
unknown local_recipient_rejectcode = 550

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Answer 6

UptimeJeff

Level 4

3,479 points

May 29, 2006 11:10 AM in response to Brent Deverman

FYI- this question was marked answered, so it may not receive as many views as normal.

First... You didn't explain why you need to run postfix an EIMS. You only said thay you configured OpenDirectory. You can run open directory and disable postfix from listening. If you don't need postfix, then disable it.

If you have a requirement to run both EIMS and Postfix (you may want to explain why- as if could lead to a more appropriate suggestion).

You say that Postfix and EIMS are running on the same machine. If they're both set to receive mail, then without alternate configuration they're both going to fight for port 25 (only one will get it).

If you're not able to adjust the script, and your stuck using default ports, and your stuck with the requirement for mail to from script to mta (port25) then transfer to the other MTA (port25).... then

An option may be to give the machine two IP addresses.
Telll Postfix to listen on on IP address and EIMS to listend on the other.
The servers should receive mail first should be the one which is mapped from the public IP. More specifics of how this could be configured can be posted if I understand why the two servers are needed and what th desired function of each is.

JJ

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Answer 7

May 29, 2006 4:47 PM in response to UptimeJeff

The only reason that I use postfix is so that php can send email from scripts using the default php mail command. (Rewriting all the php apps written by third parties to uses another mail library is not an option.)

As mentioned above I set up postfix as a "null client" which means that postfix is not listening on any port but only set up to send email. Even though it is not listening, the program is too stupid to realize that and refuses to send email to an ip address that it is on.

Using another IP address is not an option as I'm not going to increase my costs just to send email through php.

Thanks for the help.

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