user unknown in virtual alias table

Question

Level 1

0 points

user unknown in virtual alias table

I am running mail service on mac mini server running 10.6.8 and everthing works just fine. While I have followed the steps mentioned in the Mail Service Admin Guide to setup a virtual domain while it didn't work at all.

What I have done is:-

Enable Virutal hosting in Server Admin as below:-

Server Admin -> Mail -> Setting -> Advanced -> Hosting

checked the check box "Enable Virtual Hosting"

Put the virtual domain (virtual.com) into the "Locally Hosted Virtual Domain"

Of coz have already setup local domain (server.com) into the "Local Host Aliases"

In workgroup manager, create a new local account "testing" and put the testuser@virtualcom into the last line of the short name field and also enabled Mail in the Mail tab.

Included the user in Server Admin -> Access -> Mail service so that pop3 access to this account works perfectly.

added the line into /etc/postfix/main.cf

virtual_alias_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/virtual

Created the /etc/postfix/virtual as below :-

virtual.com virtual

testuser@virtual.com testing

executed the command postmap hash:/etc/postfix/virtual

executed the command sudo postfix reload

But it still complain when I mail to this virtual user "testuser@virtual.com" while I can successfully mail to "testing@server.com" which is the local user.

I have then executed "serveradmin stop mail" follows by "serveradmin start mail" but same problem again.

Anyone have experience on such setup?

Mac mini Server (Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 8, 2012 12:08 AM

Reply

Answer 1

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 8, 2012 12:10 AM in response to FrankCheong

Oh BTW, postfix have successfully lookup the virtual user thru the below query

postmap -q testuser@virutal.com /etc/postfix/virtual

it will return "testing" to me successfully. Any idea?

Reply

Answer 2

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 8, 2012 12:20 AM in response to FrankCheong

One more funny thing.

When I create the second local user testinga with testusera@virtual.com in the short name field. I then modified the /etc/postfix/virtual file by appending the below line

testusera@virtual.com testinga

I then tried to mimick a mail from testusra@virtual.com to testinguser@virtual.com. the mail get rejected. But I can get the NDA thru the testinga local user account. That means the virtual user delivery works on NDA only. It is really cute.

I am now clueless. Would be glad if anyone can shed me some light.

Reply

Answer 3

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 8, 2012 4:38 AM in response to FrankCheong

Check the local aliases section of the /etc/postfix/aliases file and see if the mail user is there. If not, add this to the local aliases:

testuser: testuser

If you still get errors after that, either the virtual mail account or the user account is not configured correctly.

Reply

Answer 4

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 8, 2012 7:54 AM in response to FrankCheong

I forgot to mention that after you edit the /etc/postfix/aliases file you need to issue the following command:

sudo newaliases

Reply

Answer 5

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 8, 2012 10:07 AM in response to capaho

It didn't work.

I put testuser: testuser as well as testing: testing into aliases and do postalias as well as newaliases together with postfix reload and serveradmin stop and start mail. The same result.

Any more idea?

Reply

Answer 6

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 8, 2012 6:01 PM in response to FrankCheong

Putting it in the aliases file should have forced postfix to deliver it. If that didn't work, I'd suspect that the mailbox is not configured correctly. There may not be an actual mailbox associated with that user account. Try deleting the account and start over again.

Reply

Answer 7

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 9, 2012 5:56 PM in response to capaho

Tried to start over from virtual hosting but same result.

Let me summerize as below:-

1. Mail direct to testing@server.com works

2. postmap -q testuser@virtual.com did return testing, thus it works

3. Bounce email to testuser@virtual.com get delivered to testing@server.com

4. Mail to testuser@virtual.com get bounced with user unknown in virtual alias tabel.

It is kind of strange. I also think that postfix setting should be OK and the problem is on the LDA. Is it dovecot related? Anything I can tweak around the dovecot? But why Non-delivery Notification works without problem? Different LDA handle this?

Reply

Answer 8

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 9, 2012 7:11 PM in response to FrankCheong

Did you check the DNS entries for virtual.com? If there is a DNS problem it would likely affect mail coming in from the WAN side. The domain name should resolve and there should be an MX record for it.

Reply

Answer 9

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 9, 2012 10:28 PM in response to capaho

Actually I am doing the test in local host using telnet port 25. Would that being affected by DNS setting? Coz I m just testing the setup and would park the DNS record only after the setup works. Or I have to park the DNS record before the setup is done?

Reply

Answer 10

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 9, 2012 11:31 PM in response to FrankCheong

If you're using telnet locally the mail routing is not the same. Try sending a test message from a remote mail server.

Reply

Answer 11

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 12, 2012 1:46 AM in response to capaho

Tried. No luck. Any more clue?

I have even setup another brand new mac mini with exactly the same setup with exactly the same result. This isolated software/database corruption problem.

Would that related to the software bugs on the latest release?

Reply

Answer 12

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 12, 2012 7:13 AM in response to FrankCheong

I'm not aware of any bugs in the latest SLS software updates. Did you check to make sure that the path to the mail folder is correct? If the problem is still continuing you most likely have a mail configuration error somewhere in the user account or mail settings.

Reply

Answer 13

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 12, 2012 10:56 PM in response to capaho

OK, Would that help if I post my postconf result here? But it would be kind of huge. While anyway, I have

Please find below the mail.log output, please see if you can obtain more idea:-

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/cleanup[53558]: 5B3AD2E3D2A: message-id=<20120613024920.5B3AD2E3D2A@su62.server.com>

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/qmgr[53529]: 5B3AD2E3D2A: from=<myemail at gmail.com>, size=463, nrcpt=1 (queue active)

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/error[53571]: 5B3AD2E3D2A: to=<bounce@virtual.com>, relay=none, delay=41, delays=41/0.01/0/0.01, dsn=5.0.0, status=bounced (User unknown in virtual alias table)

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/cleanup[53558]: 65AEF2E3D2D: message-id=<20120613024952.65AEF2E3D2D@su62.server.com>

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/bounce[53572]: 5B3AD2E3D2A: sender non-delivery notification: 65AEF2E3D2D

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/qmgr[53529]: 65AEF2E3D2D: from=<>, size=2259, nrcpt=1 (queue active)

Jun 13 10:49:52 su62 postfix/qmgr[53529]: 5B3AD2E3D2A: removed

Jun 13 10:49:54 su62 postfix/smtp[53573]: 65AEF2E3D2D: to=<myemail at gmail.com>, relay=gmail-smtp-in-v4v6.l.google.com[173.194.79.26]:25, delay=2.1, delays=0/0.01/0.72/1.4, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (250 2.0.0 OK 1339555794 ha5si2104943pbc.198)

Jun 13 10:49:54 su62 postfix/qmgr[53529]: 65AEF2E3D2D: removed

Contents of /etc/postfix/virtual:-

virtual.com	virtual
bounce@virtual.com	bouncevirtual

Reply

Answer 14

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 13, 2012 7:26 AM in response to FrankCheong

If you want testuser to receive mail, that user name should be in Workgroup Manager. The user name testuser should also be added to the Short Names box for that user name in Workgroup Manager. Any aliases you want to use for the mailbox should also be in the Short Names box as a complete email address, as in bounce@virtual.com.

In the Mail section for the user name in Workgroup Manger the Mail setting should be enabled with both POP and IMAP enabled if you intend to use both. DO NOT use an alternate partition in the Mail settings unless you really understand what you are doing.

In Server Admin, make sure that Enable virtual hosting is enabled in the Advanced -> Hosting section of the mail settings and that the domain virtual.com is added to the list of Locally Hosted Virtual Domains.

If all of the above are configured as described, your mail account should work.

Reply

Answer 15

FrankCheong Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 13, 2012 7:22 PM in response to capaho

Yes, I have a created a user name bouncevirtual with shortname bounce@virtual on second line. Did enabled mail in workgroup manager and enabled both pop3 and imap.

And finally I also enabled virtual hosting in advanced -> hosting section in server admin.

I have in addition granted mail access for user bouncevirtual on the access menu of server admin.

Reply