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Why do I have "host name lookup failure"?

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Ohmster

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Feb 3, 2010, 10:18:40 PM2/3/10
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This is killing me, I am trying so hard to make this work and I am
somehow missing something. I have sendmail setup to use my ISP as a smart
host, use port 587, and use auth. I think I have that all setup properly,
I used the settings from my prior sendmail setup that always worked. This
is a little different this time though.

Before I had my modem setup to go directly to my Fedora box, then to a
hub, then to my local LAN. My Vonage router broke so I have a new one
they sent me, a Motorola VT-2542-VD, then to the Fedora 12 box. So now
the router is supply DHCP and it sets the resolv.conf file on my linux
box as such:

[ohmster@ohmster ~]$ cat /etc/resolv.conf
# Generated by NetworkManager
nameserver 192.168.15.1

This seems to work, I can ping or traceroute anything, browsers all work
fine, firefox works fine. But sendmail does not send mail out to my ISP
for some reason, I keep getting this lookup failure message in my
maillog. Below is what message I am getting, can someone please help tell
me what I am doing wrong and why I cannot send my mail out to the smart
host anymore since changing my network and installing a new Linux OS?


Feb 3 22:02:51 ohmster sendmail[2315]: o1432pCt002315: from=
<ohm...@ohmster.com>, size=594, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=
<1265252570.2244.0.camel@localhost>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA,
relay=localhost [127.0.0.1]
Feb 3 22:03:32 ohmster sendmail[2318]: o1432pCt002315: to=
<theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=
00:00:41, xdelay=00:00:40, mailer=relay, pri=120594,
relay=smtp.comcast.net, dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server:
smtp.comcast.net: host name lookup failure

I give up and have to call in the experts (you). Thanks.

--
~Ohmster | ohmster59 /a/t/ gmail dot com
Put "messageforohmster" in message body
(That is Message Body, not Subject!)
to pass my spam filter.

Joe Zeff

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Feb 3, 2010, 10:25:25 PM2/3/10
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On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:18:40 -0600, Ohmster wrote:

> relay=smtp.comcast.net, dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server:
> smtp.comcast.net: host name lookup failure

Lord knows, I'm no expert. In fact, I'm here to learn how to do what
you're trying to do. However, it does look as though sendmail is trying
to use smtp.comcast.net as its Name server, and I don't think that's
going to work.

--
Joe Zeff -- The Guy With The Sideburns:
http://www.zeff.us http://www.lasfs.info
If you can measure a computer's error rate,
it's too high.

Ohmster

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Feb 3, 2010, 10:54:38 PM2/3/10
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Joe Zeff <the.guy.with....@lasfs.info> wrote in news:4b6a3e25$0
$9300$ec3e...@unlimited.usenetmonster.com:

> On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:18:40 -0600, Ohmster wrote:
>
>> relay=smtp.comcast.net, dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server:
>> smtp.comcast.net: host name lookup failure
>
> Lord knows, I'm no expert. In fact, I'm here to learn how to do what
> you're trying to do. However, it does look as though sendmail is trying
> to use smtp.comcast.net as its Name server, and I don't think that's
> going to work.
>

Yes, it sure does look that way, doesn't it? But resolv.conf points to the
router for DNS and DNS is working quite well on teh machine. Wonder why
sendmail is getting it wrong?? Config error? But I know of no DNS lines in
sendmail.mc.

I just looked, there is nothing like that in the sendmail.mc file. Let's
hope that some good sendmail experts give this a go, ey?

Andrzej Adam Filip

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Feb 4, 2010, 12:00:32 AM2/4/10
to

Push the message (by queue id) in verbose mode with DNS tracking turned on
- It should provide more hints

As root execute:

sendmail -v -d8.20 -qIo1432pCt002315

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com
lawsuit, n.:
A machine which you go into as a pig and come out as a sausage.
-- Ambrose Bierce

Ohmster

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Feb 4, 2010, 12:50:04 AM2/4/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
news:3q7s1gz...@andrea.huge.strangled.net:

> Push the message (by queue id) in verbose mode with DNS tracking
> turned on - It should provide more hints
>
> As root execute:
>
> sendmail -v -d8.20 -qIo1432pCt002315

Sure, need to find out what this is all about...

[root@ohmster ~]# sendmail -v -d8.20 -qIo1432pCt002315

Running /var/spool/mqueue/o1432pCt002315 (sequence 1 of 1)
dns_getcanonname(ohmster.com, trymx=1)
dns_getcanonname: trying ohmster.com. (AAAA)
NO: errno=0, h_errno=4
dns_getcanonname: trying ohmster.com. (A)
YES
dns_getcanonname: ohmster.com
dns_getcanonname(comcast.net, trymx=1)
dns_getcanonname: trying comcast.net. (AAAA)
NO: errno=0, h_errno=4
dns_getcanonname: trying comcast.net. (A)
YES
dns_getcanonname: comcast.net
getmxrr(smtp.comcast.net, droplocalhost=1)

getmxrr: res_search(smtp.comcast.net) failed (errno=110, h_errno=2)
<theoh...@comcast.net>... Deferred: Name server: smtp.comcast.net: host
name lookup failure
[root@ohmster ~]#


[root@ohmster ~]# ping smtp.comcast.net
PING smtp.g.comcast.net (76.96.62.117) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 68.86.228.150 icmp_seq=24 Packet filtered
^C
--- smtp.g.comcast.net ping statistics ---
38 packets transmitted, 0 received, +1 errors, 100% packet loss, time
44681ms

[root@ohmster ~]#

Well that's odd. My Windows machines use the exact same router and they
have no problem at all reaching smpt.comcast.net. I even edited
resolv.conf to my known nameservers but a reboot reset them back to a
single nameserver, the router.

What do you think this means Andrze?

Andrzej Adam Filip

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Feb 4, 2010, 1:32:22 AM2/4/10
to

One more test:
echo "/map host smtp.comcast.net" | sendmail -d8.20 -bt

If it returns (errno=110, h_errno=2) in response to AAAA lookup then try
to fix it by adding the following line to your sendmail.mc
define(`confBIND_OPTS', `WorkAroundBrokenAAAA')dnl

[ http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Fedora/2004-11/3170.html ]

> [root@ohmster ~]# ping smtp.comcast.net
> PING smtp.g.comcast.net (76.96.62.117) 56(84) bytes of data.
> From 68.86.228.150 icmp_seq=24 Packet filtered
> ^C
> --- smtp.g.comcast.net ping statistics ---
> 38 packets transmitted, 0 received, +1 errors, 100% packet loss, time
> 44681ms

Some sites block pings (the relevant icmp packets).
Can you telnet msa port on the host?

telnet smtp.comcast.net 587

> Well that's odd. My Windows machines use the exact same router and they
> have no problem at all reaching smpt.comcast.net. I even edited
> resolv.conf to my known nameservers but a reboot reset them back to a
> single nameserver, the router.
>

> What do you think this means Andrzej?

Check if WorkAroundBrokenAAAA can fix it.

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

Open-Sendmail: http://open-sendmail.sourceforge.net/
In the strict scientific sense we all feed on death -- even vegetarians.
-- Spock, "Wolf in the Fold", stardate 3615.4

Ohmster

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Feb 4, 2010, 12:35:02 PM2/4/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
news:1fsdevq...@eileen.huge.strangled.net:


[..]
> One more test:

Okay, here goes...

> echo "/map host smtp.comcast.net" | sendmail -d8.20 -bt

[root@ohmster ~]# echo "/map host smtp.comcast.net" | sendmail -d8.20
-bt ADDRESS TEST MODE (ruleset 3 NOT automatically invoked)
Enter <ruleset> <address>
> map_lookup: host (smtp.comcast.net) dns_getcanonname(smtp.comcast.net,
> trymx=1)
dns_getcanonname: trying smtp.comcast.net. (AAAA)
YES
dns_getcanonname: trying smtp.g.comcast.net. (AAAA)
NO: errno=0, h_errno=4
dns_getcanonname: trying smtp.g.comcast.net. (A)
YES
dns_getcanonname: smtp.g.comcast.net
returns smtp.g.comcast.net. (0)
> [root@ohmster ~]#


> If it returns (errno=110, h_errno=2) in response to AAAA lookup then
> try to fix it by adding the following line to your sendmail.mc
> define(`confBIND_OPTS', `WorkAroundBrokenAAAA')dnl
>
> [ http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Fedora/2004-11/3170.html ]
>

[..]

>
> Some sites block pings (the relevant icmp packets).
> Can you telnet msa port on the host?
>
> telnet smtp.comcast.net 587
>

Will try it now...

[..]

>>
>> What do you think this means Andrzej?
>
> Check if WorkAroundBrokenAAAA can fix it.

Trying to reach server with telnet on port 587:

> [root@ohmster ~]# telnet smtp.comcast.net 587
Trying 76.96.62.117...
Connected to smtp.comcast.net.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 omta20.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net comcast ESMTP server ready
HELO ohmster.com
250 omta20.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net hello [174.48.12.44], pleased
to meet you quit
221 2.0.0 omta20.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net comcast closing
connection Connection closed by foreign host.
You have mail in /var/spool/mail/root
[root@ohmster ~]#


I do not get error returns of (errno=110, h_errno=2) in response to AAAA
lookup, so does this means that the WorkAroundBrokenAAAA will not apply
here? This is so cryptic, what does it all mean?

Since getting dovecot to work with sendmail, I am now receiving email on
my Windows machine from the Linux machine like this now (I tried to send
a test mail ito myself at my ISP from Evolution):

**********************************************
** THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY **
** YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE **
**********************************************

The original message was received at Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:02:51 -0500
from localhost [127.0.0.1]

----- Transcript of session follows -----


<theoh...@comcast.net>... Deferred: Name server: smtp.comcast.net:

host name lookup failure Warning: message still undelivered after 4
hours Will keep trying until message is 5 days old

What do you think Andrzej or anybody? I really want to resolve this but
am not sure where to go at this point. Thank you very much for your
sincere help, Andrzej.

crp

unread,
Feb 5, 2010, 12:06:25 PM2/5/10
to
how about changing the setting from
smtp.comcast.net
to smtp.g.comcast.net ?

Andrzej Adam Filip

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Feb 5, 2010, 3:01:24 PM2/5/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
> [...]

> I do not get error returns of (errno=110, h_errno=2) in response to AAAA
> lookup, so does this means that the WorkAroundBrokenAAAA will not apply
> here? This is so cryptic, what does it all mean?

You may use more than one DNS server -> it may produce "non static"
response patterns.
As I understand WorkAroundBrokenAAAA is intended to "fix" replies from
broken DNS servers (caches) that return "temporary problem/try later"
instead of "no AAAA record".

> Since getting dovecot to work with sendmail, I am now receiving email on
> my Windows machine from the Linux machine like this now (I tried to send
> a test mail ito myself at my ISP from Evolution):
>
> **********************************************
> ** THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY **
> ** YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE **
> **********************************************
>
> The original message was received at Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:02:51 -0500
> from localhost [127.0.0.1]
>
> ----- Transcript of session follows -----
> <theoh...@comcast.net>... Deferred: Name server: smtp.comcast.net:
> host name lookup failure Warning: message still undelivered after 4
> hours Will keep trying until message is 5 days old

Your sendmail notifies *sender* that it could not sent message "so far"
(4 hours) but it promises to keep trying until message is 5 days old

> What do you think Andrzej or anybody? I really want to resolve this but
> am not sure where to go at this point. Thank you very much for your
> sincere help, Andrzej.

0) Try adding WorkAroundBrokenAAAA
(modify sendmail.mc, recompile it into sendmail.cf, restart or HUP
ssendmail daemon - sorry but too many people forget to do it *all*).
1) push sendmail queue in verbose mode to see if it makes difference
sendmail -v -q

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com
Open-Sendmail: http://open-sendmail.sourceforge.net/

No one becomes depraved in a moment.
-- Decimus Junius Juvenalis

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 5, 2010, 3:15:35 PM2/5/10
to
crp <print...@gmail.com> wrote in news:bad67a2d-d90a-410b-b916-
28932f...@o16g2000prh.googlegroups.com:

> how about changing the setting from
> smtp.comcast.net
> to smtp.g.comcast.net ?
>

I could try but that is what comcast tells you to use. It works quite
well in Windows Live Mail and it worked with Sendmail before in Fedora 6.
Since putting in a new hard drive and installing Fedora 12, this is the
problem I am having now. BUT, and this is a big one, I did not have this
POS Motorola router in front of the Fedora box. Well I did have a nice
Linksys but I had it run not as a DHCP server, just as a wireless point
of origin and as a Vonage phone device. The router had put the Linux box
in the DMZ and was pretty transparent. The Linux box did act as a router,
it had a 2nd NIC, ran a firewall, DHCP server, and IPv4 forwarding. This
time around, the router comes first, does the DHCP serving, and is a bit
hard to configure.

But in answer to your question, I have never had to do that before, smtp
works with Live Mail, and I like to use the domain that they give me so
if they change their servers around, the mail should still work.

--
~Ohmster

Ohmster

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Feb 5, 2010, 7:39:38 PM2/5/10
to
crp <print...@gmail.com> wrote in news:bad67a2d-d90a-410b-b916-
28932f...@o16g2000prh.googlegroups.com:

> how about changing the setting from
> smtp.comcast.net
> to smtp.g.comcast.net ?

Well maybe, but Comcast does not recommend that, it works with other mail
programs like Live Mail. I think that is so that they can move the server
to any IP address or machine they like, all they have to do is change the
DNS on it and you will always be able to find "smtp.comcast.net". Only
problem is, that in this case, it does not seem to be working.

I had thought about just putting in the IP address of the server itself but
for the reason stated above, I did not do it.

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 5, 2010, 7:59:05 PM2/5/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in news:vuo0znsjqy-A25
@pedro.huge.strangled.net:

> 0) Try adding WorkAroundBrokenAAAA
> (modify sendmail.mc, recompile it into sendmail.cf, restart or HUP
> ssendmail daemon - sorry but too many people forget to do it *all*).
> 1) push sendmail queue in verbose mode to see if it makes difference
> sendmail -v -q

Here is one better, I put the actual IP address of the smtp server in
sendmail config and ran it. See for yourself:

Feb 5 19:56:16 ohmster sendmail[7232]: o112FSjQ008683: to=
<theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=4+
22:40:48, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=11190351, relay=76.96.62.117,
dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server: 76.96.62.117: host name lookup
failure

How can it not "lookup" and actual IP address??

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 5, 2010, 8:09:34 PM2/5/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
> Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in news:vuo0znsjqy-A25
> @pedro.huge.strangled.net:
>
>> 0) Try adding WorkAroundBrokenAAAA
>> (modify sendmail.mc, recompile it into sendmail.cf, restart or HUP
>> ssendmail daemon - sorry but too many people forget to do it *all*).
>> 1) push sendmail queue in verbose mode to see if it makes difference
>> sendmail -v -q
>
> Here is one better, I put the actual IP address of the smtp server in
> sendmail config and ran it. See for yourself:
>
> Feb 5 19:56:16 ohmster sendmail[7232]: o112FSjQ008683: to=
> <theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=4+
> 22:40:48, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=11190351, relay=76.96.62.117,
> dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server: 76.96.62.117: host name lookup
> failure
>
> How can it not "lookup" and actual IP address??

Have you defined the smart host as [76.96.62.117]?
( IP address in square brackets )

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

When a float occurs on the same page as the start of a supertabular
you can expect unexpected results.
-- Documentation of supertabular.sty

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 6, 2010, 12:35:46 PM2/6/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
news:h1i18rx...@jennifer.huge.strangled.net:

>> Here is one better, I put the actual IP address of the smtp server in
>> sendmail config and ran it. See for yourself:
>>
>> Feb 5 19:56:16 ohmster sendmail[7232]: o112FSjQ008683: to=
>> <theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500),
>> delay=4+ 22:40:48, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=11190351,
>> relay=76.96.62.117, dsn=4.0.0, stat=Deferred: Name server:
>> 76.96.62.117: host name lookup failure
>>
>> How can it not "lookup" and actual IP address??
>
> Have you defined the smart host as [76.96.62.117]?
> ( IP address in square brackets )

Uh no. Trying again like this now:
define(`SMART_HOST',`[76.96.62.117]')dnl

I just want to use this as a test and hopefully, can get back to using
the domain name and not the IP address. I think the whole problem is not
the Linux system or computer, the problem is this POS router. When I
lookup on google "VT-2542-VD" (I have a Motorola VT-2542-VD Vonage
router), I see all kinds of complaints about it. People cannot access
their own domains from withing the home LAN as the router will only
display a login page for the router and not the web page itself. The
thing is *very* difficult to write rules and IP forwarding with, I have
to google for help every time. My original Linksys had NONE of these
problems and was so sweet! But, I did not have this setup with the old
router either. I ran the Linux box in the DMZ and used the Linux box as
my router, had the home LAN connected to a switch on eth1.

I do not think all this should make that much of a difference but with so
many network related complaints on this router, I would not doubt that
this is causing the problem at all. Okay, back to the test...

Okay, different stuff in "tail -f /var/log/maillog" this timel. Not sure
what it means:

Feb 6 12:24:48 ohmster sendmail[26114]: o16HOmFI026114: from=
<ohm...@ohmster.com>, size=640, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=
<1265477086.26063.0.camel@localhost>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA,
relay=localhost [127.0.0.1]
Feb 6 12:24:49 ohmster sendmail[26118]: STARTTLS=client, relay=
[76.96.62.117], version=TLSv1/SSLv3, verify=FAIL, cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-
SHA, bits=256/256
Feb 6 12:24:49 ohmster sendmail[26118]: o16HOmFI026114: to=


<theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=

00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=relay, pri=120640, relay=[76.96.62.117]
[76.96.62.117], dsn=5.0.0, stat=Service unavailable
Feb 6 12:24:49 ohmster sendmail[26118]: o16HOmFI026114: o16HOnFI026118:
DSN: Service unavailable
Feb 6 12:24:49 ohmster sendmail[26118]: o16HOnFI026118: to=
<ohm...@ohmster.com>, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local,
pri=31862, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

I did not get the mail but I do see I am getting auth errors now on my
system mail so I guess I have to work on the auth issue. See system
mail...

The original message was received at Sat, 6 Feb 2010 12:24:48 -0500
from localhost [127.0.0.1]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<theoh...@comcast.net>
(reason: 550 5.1.0 Authentication required)

----- Transcript of session follows -----

... while talking to [76.96.62.117]:
>>> MAIL From:<ohm...@ohmster.com> SIZE=838
<<< 550 5.1.0 Authentication required
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable

So that does seem to work with getting in touch with the smtp smart host.
I really would rather go back to the DNS name instead of IP address, but
what is wrong with the DNS? smtp.comcast.net will resolve easily with a
ping or traceroute, why is it that sendmail cannot find the host by
domain name?

So far as AUTH goes, I thought I had that covered with this in my
sendmail config:

FEATURE(`authinfo',`hash /etc/mail/auth/client-info')dnl

[root@ohmster mail]# cd auth
[root@ohmster auth]# ls -la
total 20
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 2010-02-03 21:35 .
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 4096 2010-02-06 12:30 ..
-rw------- 1 root root 156 2010-02-03 21:32 client-info
-rw-r----- 1 root root 12288 2010-02-03 21:35 client-info.db
[root@ohmster auth]# pwd
/etc/mail/auth
[root@ohmster auth]#

[root@ohmster auth]# cat client-info
AuthInfo:smtp.comcast.net "U:smmsp" "I:MUNGE" "P:MUNGE" "M:PLAIN"
AuthInfo:smtp.comcast.net:587 "U:smmsp" "I:theohmster" "P:tinymiss22"
"M:PLAIN"
[root@ohmster auth]#

I removed my own user/pass and substituted MUNGE for this post, my real
stuff is there in plain text and this is how I have always done it in the
past. Actually, I pretty much just used cp to copy over my old auth stuff
to my new drive and rehashed the db file because I did not copy that file
over.


Thanks for your help Andrzej, we are really making progress! But, I still
need more help, the scope of this sendmail is a wee tad over my head, but
I sure want to learn more about it and get my system back and running
again.

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 6, 2010, 1:09:37 PM2/6/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
> Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote:
>> [...]

> I just want to use this as a test and hopefully, can get back to using
> the domain name and not the IP address. I think the whole problem is not
> the Linux system or computer, the problem is this POS router. When I
> lookup on google "VT-2542-VD" (I have a Motorola VT-2542-VD Vonage
> router), I see all kinds of complaints about it. People cannot access
> their own domains from withing the home LAN as the router will only
> display a login page for the router and not the web page itself. The
> thing is *very* difficult to write rules and IP forwarding with, I have
> to google for help every time. My original Linksys had NONE of these
> problems and was so sweet! But, I did not have this setup with the old
> router either. I ran the Linux box in the DMZ and used the Linux box as
> my router, had the home LAN connected to a switch on eth1.
>
> I do not think all this should make that much of a difference but with so
> many network related complaints on this router, I would not doubt that
> this is causing the problem at all. [...]

What do you have in /etc/resolv.conf?
Do you use your router IP in nameserver line/option?
YES => Can you use directly your ISP nameservers?

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

The grand leap of the whale up the Fall of Niagara is esteemed, by all
who have seen it, as one of the finest spectacles in nature.
-- Benjamin Franklin.

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 6, 2010, 6:24:35 PM2/6/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in news:ypgw6kxsz7-A26
@stuart.huge.strangled.net:

> What do you have in /etc/resolv.conf?
> Do you use your router IP in nameserver line/option?
> YES => Can you use directly your ISP nameservers?
>

I can and do do it in Windows because I always want to get the same IP for
IP forwarding so I specify my IP address and nameservers. This works quite
well as the router gives me the specifed address and all is well. With
linux, when I put the two nameservers for my ISP in the file and reboot or
restart the network to see how it works now, resolv.conf is always
overwritten to point my DNS back directly to my router, which I do not
want.

If I could configure my Linux box for static IP and not to use DHCP during
boot, that might work. I have to figure oout how to do that and then yes,
it might work.

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 6, 2010, 7:09:26 PM2/6/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in news:ypgw6kxsz7-A26
@stuart.huge.strangled.net:

> Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
>> Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote:

[..]

I have been trying to work on the auth problem and think I pretty much
have everything right but some service is not running or started and I
will be dammed if I know what it is. Look at this maillog entry and the
acompanying email I got from the system:

Feb 6 19:04:03 ohmster sendmail[6789]: o17042qf006786: to=


<theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=

00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=120639, relay=[76.96.62.117]

[76.96.62.117], dsn=5.0.0, stat=Service unavailable

Feb 6 19:04:03 ohmster sendmail[6789]: o17042qf006786: o17043qf006789:
DSN: Service unavailable
Feb 6 19:04:04 ohmster sendmail[6789]: o17043qf006789: to=
<ohm...@ohmster.com>, delay=00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=local,
pri=31861, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

The original message was received at Sat, 6 Feb 2010 19:04:02 -0500
from localhost [127.0.0.1]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<theoh...@comcast.net>
(reason: 550 5.1.0 Authentication required)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to [76.96.62.117]:

>>> MAIL From:<ohm...@ohmster.com> SIZE=837


<<< 550 5.1.0 Authentication required
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable

What service is unavailable?

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 7, 2010, 3:29:51 AM2/7/10
to

"550 5.1.0 Authentication required" is important.

To debug outgoing SMTP AUTH try the following test command

sendmail -v -d60.5 -qI_queue-id_

-d60.5 will show you authinfo table lookups.

The most common problems are:
a) lookup in authiinfo table for "something else than expected"
b) lack of support by your sendmail of AUTH methods offered
c) "security block" - quite often sendmail is configured to refuse
"plain text" password authentication over unencrypted links
d) broken ehlo response after STARTTLS - lack of AUTH method lists
[I have been hit by it once ]

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

The English instinctively admire any man who has no talent and is modest
about it.
-- James Agate, British film and drama critic

John Nemeth

unread,
Feb 7, 2010, 3:34:34 PM2/7/10
to
Ohmster (ro...@dev.nul.invalid) wrote:
: Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
: news:h1i18rx...@jennifer.huge.strangled.net:

: > Have you defined the smart host as [76.96.62.117]?


: > ( IP address in square brackets )

: Uh no. Trying again like this now:
: define(`SMART_HOST',`[76.96.62.117]')dnl

: [...]

: So far as AUTH goes, I thought I had that covered with this in my
: sendmail config:

: FEATURE(`authinfo',`hash /etc/mail/auth/client-info')dnl

: [root@ohmster mail]# cd auth
: [root@ohmster auth]# ls -la
: total 20
: drwx------ 2 root root 4096 2010-02-03 21:35 .
: drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 4096 2010-02-06 12:30 ..
: -rw------- 1 root root 156 2010-02-03 21:32 client-info
: -rw-r----- 1 root root 12288 2010-02-03 21:35 client-info.db
: [root@ohmster auth]# pwd
: /etc/mail/auth
: [root@ohmster auth]#

: [root@ohmster auth]# cat client-info
: AuthInfo:smtp.comcast.net "U:smmsp" "I:MUNGE" "P:MUNGE" "M:PLAIN"
: AuthInfo:smtp.comcast.net:587 "U:smmsp" "I:theohmster" "P:tinymiss22"
: "M:PLAIN"
: [root@ohmster auth]#

: I removed my own user/pass and substituted MUNGE for this post, my real
: stuff is there in plain text and this is how I have always done it in the

Actually, you missed one.

The problem is most likely that you are talking to
"[76.96.62.117]", not "smtp.comcast.net". Try adding lines for the IP
address.

Steve Hajducko

unread,
Feb 9, 2010, 7:42:42 PM2/9/10
to
On Feb 7, 12:34 pm, jnem...@vtn1.victoria.tc.ca (John Nemeth) wrote:
> Ohmster (r...@dev.nul.invalid) wrote:
>
> : Andrzej Adam Filip <a...@onet.eu> wrote in

You can also just change your smart host to

[smtp.comcast.net]

The 'hostname lookup failure' results from sendmail trying to perform
an MX record lookup on the actual smart host, something that's not
likely to be there in some cases. The brackets tell sendmail to
ignore doing MX lookups.

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 10, 2010, 10:19:22 AM2/10/10
to
Steve Hajducko <hajd...@gmail.com> wrote in news:416db4d0-e950-4e86-a376-
aa7ff8...@e19g2000prn.googlegroups.com:

> You can also just change your smart host to
>
> [smtp.comcast.net]
>
> The 'hostname lookup failure' results from sendmail trying to perform
> an MX record lookup on the actual smart host, something that's not
> likely to be there in some cases. The brackets tell sendmail to
> ignore doing MX lookups.

Alright, that seemed to work, now I have to work on my auth issue. Thank
you very much Steve.

Feb 10 10:17:52 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHpkc002211: to=


<theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=

00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=relay, pri=120639,
relay=smtp.g.comcast.net. [76.96.62.117], dsn=5.0.0, stat=Service
unavailable
Feb 10 10:17:52 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHpkc002211: o1AFHqkc002215:
DSN: Service unavailable
Feb 10 10:17:53 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHqkc002215: to=
<ohm...@ohmster.com>, delay=00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=
31862, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 10, 2010, 10:25:48 AM2/10/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
> Steve Hajducko <hajd...@gmail.com> wrote in news:416db4d0-e950-4e86-a376-
> aa7ff8...@e19g2000prn.googlegroups.com:
>
>> You can also just change your smart host to
>>
>> [smtp.comcast.net]
>>
>> The 'hostname lookup failure' results from sendmail trying to perform
>> an MX record lookup on the actual smart host, something that's not
>> likely to be there in some cases. The brackets tell sendmail to
>> ignore doing MX lookups.
>
> Alright, that seemed to work, now I have to work on my auth issue. Thank
> you very much Steve.
>
> Feb 10 10:17:52 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHpkc002211: to=
> <theoh...@comcast.net>, ctladdr=<ohm...@ohmster.com> (500/500), delay=
> 00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=relay, pri=120639,
> relay=smtp.g.comcast.net. [76.96.62.117], dsn=5.0.0, stat=Service
> unavailable
> Feb 10 10:17:52 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHpkc002211: o1AFHqkc002215:
> DSN: Service unavailable
> Feb 10 10:17:53 ohmster sendmail[2215]: o1AFHqkc002215: to=
> <ohm...@ohmster.com>, delay=00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=
> 31862, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent

As root send one message in verbose mode (smtp session tracking) with
tracking map lookups (auth table lookups):

(echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v _recipient-email_

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

Open-Sendmail: http://open-sendmail.sourceforge.net/
History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree on.
-- Napoleon Bonaparte, "Maxims"

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 12, 2010, 5:42:43 PM2/12/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in news:7mkng0iw3b-
A...@willie.huge.strangled.net:

[..]

> As root send one message in verbose mode (smtp session tracking) with
> tracking map lookups (auth table lookups):
>
> (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v _recipient-
email_

Andrew, I do not quite understand this, give me the command from the root
prompt as such:

#(echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v _recipient-
email_

Is this what you are saying to do?

--
~Ohmster

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 13, 2010, 2:35:54 AM2/13/10
to

(echo subject: test; echo) - it constructs "very trivial email message"
with one header and header-body separator
-d60.5 - track map lookups (including auth map looups)
-v - turn on verbose mode (includes tracking smtp session)

/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v _recipient-email_
sendmail email read over standard input (stdin) to recipient address
_recipient-email_ in verbose mode with map lookups tracking

What you need to see is:
a) AUTH mechanism offered by the remote server
b) auth table lookups sendmail does

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

There are three things I always forget.
Names, faces -- the third I can't remember.
-- Italo Svevo

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 13, 2010, 11:34:42 AM2/13/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
news:7mkng0i...@willie.huge.strangled.net:

>
> As root send one message in verbose mode (smtp session tracking) with
> tracking map lookups (auth table lookups):
>
> (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v
> _recipient-email_

Oh wow, you still with me Adam? Great! Like most folks, I have other
stuff to do but really want to get this issue solved. Thanks for hanging
in there.

Wow, that command sure outputted a lot! I really do not know what all
this does or means, I hope that you or someone can interpret it for me.
Thanks. Output below...
___________________________________________________________________

[root@ohmster ~]# (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5
-v _recipient-email_ map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) =>
NOT FOUND (0) map_lookup(dequote, _recipient-email_,
%0=_recipient-email_) => NOT FOUND (0) map_lookup(dequote,
_recipient-email_, %0=_recipient-email_) => NOT FOUND (0)
_recipient-email_... Connecting to [127.0.0.1] via relay... 220
ohmster.com ESMTP Sendmail 8.14.3/8.14.3; Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:27:22
-0500
>>> EHLO ohmster.com
250-ohmster.com Hello localhost [127.0.0.1], pleased to meet you
250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES
250-PIPELINING
250-8BITMIME
250-SIZE
250-DSN
250-ETRN
250-AUTH DIGEST-MD5 CRAM-MD5 LOGIN PLAIN
250-DELIVERBY
250 HELP
>>> MAIL From:<ro...@ohmster.com> SIZE=15 AUTH=ro...@ohmster.com
250 2.1.0 <ro...@ohmster.com>... Sender ok
>>> RCPT To:<_recipien...@ohmster.com>
>>> DATA
550 5.1.1 <_recipien...@ohmster.com>... User unknown
503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient)
>>> RSET
250 2.0.0 Reset state
map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)
map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)
map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)
map_lookup(dequote, MAILER-DAEMON, %0=MAILER-DAEMON) => NOT FOUND (0)
>>> RSET
250 2.0.0 Reset state
root... Using cached ESMTP connection to [127.0.0.1] via relay...
>>> MAIL From:<> SIZE=1039
250 2.1.0 <>... Sender ok
>>> RCPT To:<ro...@ohmster.com>
>>> DATA
250 2.1.5 <ro...@ohmster.com>... Recipient ok
354 Enter mail, end with "." on a line by itself
>>> .
250 2.0.0 o1DGRMgK015159 Message accepted for delivery
root... Sent (o1DGRMgK015159 Message accepted for delivery)
Closing connection to [127.0.0.1]
>>> QUIT
221 2.0.0 ohmster.com closing connection
___________________________________________________________________

What does this mean and will it help with the auth issue? Thank you.

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 13, 2010, 11:42:20 AM2/13/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote in news:Xns9D1E754E9ED52MyBigKitty@
216.196.97.131:

[..]


> Wow, that command sure outputted a lot! I really do not know what all
> this does or means, I hope that you or someone can interpret it for me.
> Thanks. Output below...

[..]

This is the email I got on Linux as a result of running the test command:


(echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v _recipient-email_


The original message was received at Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:27:22 -0500
from root@localhost

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

_recipient-email_
(reason: 550 5.1.1 <_recipien...@ohmster.com>... User unknown)
(expanded from: _recipient-email_)

----- Transcript of session follows -----

... while talking to [127.0.0.1]:


>>> DATA
<<< 550 5.1.1 <_recipien...@ohmster.com>... User unknown

550 5.1.1 _recipient-email_... User unknown


<<< 503 5.0.0 Need RCPT (recipient)

Andrzej Adam Filip

unread,
Feb 13, 2010, 12:42:41 PM2/13/10
to
Ohmster <ro...@dev.nul.invalid> wrote:
> Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
> news:7mkng0i...@willie.huge.strangled.net:
>
>>
>> As root send one message in verbose mode (smtp session tracking) with
>> tracking map lookups (auth table lookups):
>>
>> (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v
>> _recipient-email_
>
> Oh wow, you still with me Adam? Great! Like most folks, I have other
> stuff to do but really want to get this issue solved. Thanks for hanging
> in there.
>
> Wow, that command sure outputted a lot! I really do not know what all
> this does or means, I hope that you or someone can interpret it for me.
> Thanks. Output below...
> [...]

My "ommision" (missing -Am command line switch):
(echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v -Am _recipient-email_

-Am Use sendmail.cf even if the operation mode indicates an initial mail submission.

--
[pl>en Andrew] Andrzej Adam Filip : an...@onet.eu : Andrze...@gmail.com

Some men rob you with a six-gun -- others with a fountain pen.
-- Woodie Guthrie

Ohmster

unread,
Feb 15, 2010, 10:03:58 AM2/15/10
to
Andrzej Adam Filip <an...@onet.eu> wrote in
news:mg64dh8...@clarence.huge.strangled.net:

> My "ommision" (missing -Am command line switch):
> (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v -Am
> _recipient-email_
>
> -Am Use sendmail.cf even if the operation mode indicates an initial
> mail submission.

My mistake, I changed the Linux box to a static IP for the router, allows
me to put the box in the DMZ for server use. At the time I did the test,
my network had no outside access, duh!

[root@ohmster ~]# (echo subject: test; echo)|/usr/sbin/sendmail -d60.5 -v
-Am _recipient-email_


map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)
map_lookup(dequote, _recipient-email_, %0=_recipient-email_) => NOT FOUND
(0)

_recipient-email_... User unknown


map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)

root... aliased to ohmster
map_lookup(dequote, ohmster, %0=ohmster) => NOT FOUND (0)


map_lookup(dequote, root, %0=root) => NOT FOUND (0)
map_lookup(dequote, MAILER-DAEMON, %0=MAILER-DAEMON) => NOT FOUND (0)

ohmster... Connecting to local...
ohmster... Sent
[root@ohmster ~]#


Came back through sendmail on the system as:

The original message was received at Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:58:01 -0500
from root@localhost

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

_recipient-email_
(reason: 550 5.1.1 User unknown)

----- Transcript of session follows -----

550 5.1.1 _recipient-email_... User unknown


And I still get this kind of return mail when I try to send outside mail:

The original message was received at Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:40:41 -0500
from localhost [127.0.0.1]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<theoh...@comcast.net>
(reason: 550 5.1.0 Authentication required)

----- Transcript of session follows -----

... while talking to smtp.g.comcast.net.:


>>> MAIL From:<ohm...@ohmster.com> SIZE=838
<<< 550 5.1.0 Authentication required
554 5.0.0 Service unavailable


I did find and correct a glaring omission though. In my client-info auth
file, I did have my old password and not my current one. I changed it and
did the makemap hash on the client-info.db and thought for SURE it would
work now. Nope. Not at all. Yes I did restart sendmail. I have my
user/pass combo in my /etc/mail/auth/client-info file AND my
/etc/mail/access file. I wonder if this would cause a problem? Anyway, I
really need some help with this auth issue and might have to start a new
thread, this one is getting long in the tooth and had changed topic
already. Thanks.

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