[TAG] Setting up the mail subsystem in Linux

Thu Aug 10 08:20:22 MSD 2006

Ben:

I am getting the following error message when trying to send to the gang 
address.

For <tag at lists.linuxgazette.net>, the destination server said: . (from 
lists.linuxgazette.net:198.144.195.186)

Please forward for me.

CSSJR

A little background before I ask my questions.

I am using Ubuntu, Dapper, updated every day so it has the latest kernel.

I have two long time ISP's, cognisurf.com and attglobal.net.

I would like to drop attglobal.net.  They have a surcharge after so many
hours on line and while setting up Ubuntu I ran into the surcharge time
and they charged me $87.00 plus the $19.95 flat charge.  When there are
so many ISP's that will give me unlimited time for $9.95 to $12.00, I
sent attglobal a complaint and a request they remove the charge.

In reply, I got the instructions to call their 800 number if I would
like to cancel.

To replace attglobal.net, I decided to get email service from a small
local outfit that is hosting my web page.

However, although I can send mail from that account, I can not receive
mail at that account.

All messages to that account get the 5.7.1 error.

The server is mail.2it.net.

Of course, I was told that my problem was because they do not support
linux and that I have not set up my account properly.

But I am a recent convert from MS.  I have two W2K email packages and my
machine is dual boot, so I fire it up and try Outlook Express and Boca2
(Poco on steroids) with the same result.

In linux, I have tried Evolution and am now working with Thunderbird.

I have configured all of these in every conceivable way including
getting the Tbird extension pop-before smtp.

I forgot to mention that I am contacting these ISP's through Alltel
wireless Passport using the Kyocera PC Card wireless modem.

I have set smtp to all ISP's smtp server, one at a time, to see if it
makes any difference who I am using, and it matters not.

I tried this new server using cognisurf and attglobal phone modem dial
up as well, with no luck.

This has been going on for weeks, after many many google searches for
help, I ran across Ben Okopnik"s article "Setting up the mail subsystem
in Linux".

Wow!  Just what I need.  I also travel.  A lot until recently.

So I set up the ".fetchmailrc" by the instructions in the article.

I have not figured out how to start fetchmail automatically, so I start
it from the command line.

I watch it in another command line window and see that fetchmaill is
connecting and reporting that it is receiving email.  I get the "not
purged" message.  I set it up to keep because I don't want to lose email
while I am stumbling through the trial and error period.

But Thunderbird does not know all of this and has to go on line in its
standard way to get mail.

So that is my first question.  How do I get Thunderbird and fetchmail
hooked up?

The second question is:  How do I set up smtp with what I have on my
machine?  I do not have exim on my system although it is available
through the standard Ubuntu source list.

I have postfix and fetchmail.

So the instructions in Ben's article on how to use exim to set up smtp
are totally over my head.

I changed from MS to Ubuntu about the end of April, so I am struggling.

This is a small excerpt from my mail.log in case there is anything there
that you might find helpful.

Any help will be appreciated.  I am a fairly heavy user of email and I
would like to have it working the best it can be.

CSSJR

Aug  9 18:38:12 localhost fetchmail[2855]:  not flushed
Aug  9 18:38:17 localhost fetchmail[2855]: No mail for usinet.cssutto at
pop3.attglobal.net
Aug  9 18:39:02 localhost fetchmail[2944]: 2 messages for
claudesutton at cognisurf.com at mail.cognisurf.com (5549 octets).
Aug  9 18:39:03 localhost fetchmail[2944]: reading message
claudesutton at cognisurf.com at mail.cognisurf.com:1 of 2 (2529 octets)
Aug  9 18:39:03 localhost fetchmail[2944]:  not flushed
Aug  9 18:39:04 localhost fetchmail[2944]: reading message
claudesutton at cognisurf.com at mail.cognisurf.com:2 of 2 (3020 octets)
Aug  9 18:39:05 localhost fetchmail[2944]:  not flushed
Aug  9 18:39:09 localhost fetchmail[2944]: No mail for usinet.cssutto at
pop3.attglobal.net
Aug  9 18:39:32 localhost postfix/master[4924]: reload configuration
/etc/postfix
Aug  9 18:40:51 localhost postfix/master[4924]: terminating on signal 15
Aug  9 19:17:48 localhost postfix/master[4925]: daemon started --
version 2.2.10, configuration /etc/postfix
Aug  9 19:19:18 localhost postfix/master[4925]: reload configuration
/etc/postfix
Aug  9 21:38:16 localhost fetchmail[9187]: No mail for
claudesutton at cognisurf.com at mail.cognisurf.com
Aug  9 21:39:00 localhost fetchmail[9187]: No mail for usinet.cssutto at
pop3.attglobal.net
Aug  9 21:39:34 localhost fetchmail[9374]: No mail for
claudesutton at cognisurf.com at mail.cognisurf.com
Aug  9 21:39:41 localhost fetchmail[9374]: No mail for usinet.cssutto at
pop3.attglobal.net
Aug  9 22:00:01 localhost postfix/pickup[8141]: B7758E2F15: uid=0
from=<root>
Aug  9 22:00:01 localhost postfix/cleanup[10968]: B7758E2F15:
message-id=<20060810020001.B7758E2F15 at localhost.localdomain>
Aug  9 22:00:01 localhost postfix/qmgr[5727]: B7758E2F15:
from=<root at localhost.localdomain>, size=531, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Aug  9 22:00:01 localhost postfix/local[10970]: B7758E2F15:
to=<claude69694 at localhost.localdomain>, orig_to=<root>, relay=local,
delay=0, status=sent (delivered to command: procmail -a "$EXTENSION")
Aug  9 22:00:01 localhost postfix/qmgr[5727]: B7758E2F15: removed