Postfix internal mail server breaks....

j_xavier · November 10, 2009, 5:29am

update from a previous 11.1 install to 11.2 RC2 seems to have left a previous working internal maildelivery broken. After update, yast2 mail server was no longer an active process and setup thru yast2 was run again using standard mode with no connection… problem solved… not!

no mail delivery with sent mail trapped in maildrop folder.

mail.err log:

Nov 9 16:24:49 blkdragon postfix/qmgr[29978]: fatal: open database /etc/postfix/relay.db: No such file or directory
Nov 9 16:24:53 blkdragon postfix/cleanup[30005]: fatal: open database /etc/postfix/relay.db: No such file or directory

i can see no glaring errors in /etc/postfix/main.cf, and i’m a bit mystified why it would look for available relays (relay.db does not exist in /etc/postfix) on a standard setup, hoping someone has been through this before.

Thanks in advance.

ken_yap · November 10, 2009, 1:15pm

I’ve never seen /etc/postfix/relay.db before, but if there is a /etc/postfix/relay, then run

postmap /etc/postfix/relay

to generate relay.db. If that works, then add relay to POSTFIX_MAP_LIST in /etc/sysconfig/postfix.

j_xavier · November 11, 2009, 4:26am

thanks for your reply ken,

the suggestion did indeed eliminate the previous error msg, but now i have others:

Nov 10 10:08:49 blkdragon postfix/pickup[10252]: B1D571FA6E: uid=1000 from=<blkdragon@localhost>
Nov 10 10:08:49 blkdragon postfix/cleanup[12792]: B1D571FA6E: message-id=<200911101008.49479.blkdragon@localhost>
Nov 10 10:08:49 blkdragon postfix/qmgr[10254]: B1D571FA6E: from=<blkdragon@localhost.localdomain>, size=495, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Nov 10 10:08:50 blkdragon postfix/smtp[12258]: connect to blkdragon.site[208.69.36.132]:25: No route to host
Nov 10 10:08:50 blkdragon postfix/smtp[12258]: B1D571FA6E: to=<root@blkdragon.site>, relay=none, delay=0.51, delays=0.22/0/0.28/0, dsn=4.4.1, status=deferred (connect to blkdragon.site[208.69.36.132]:25: No route to host)

then in the other log file:

Nov 10 10:28:49 blkdragon postfix/local[20894]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS lookups disabled

i believe i need to find the reason it was looking for a relay (unneeded) in the first place, if all i’m looking to accomplish is local machine messaging.

ken_yap · November 11, 2009, 8:03am

It thinks blkdragon.site is an external host so it’s trying to send the mail outside your LAN. I don’t know how your email got addressed to root@blkdragon.site. Did you enter that explicitly or did it get rewritten from root@localdomain or what? I have no idea, not knowing how you set your system up.

j_xavier · November 11, 2009, 7:48pm

thanks for the feedback, Ken… actually my paste was second try at directing mail to root… (root@localhost then root@sitename).

I’ll dig deeper into this, my concern was that somehow the existing config files were not upgraded properly when postfix was updated because it worked perfectly before.

malcolmlewis · November 16, 2009, 8:17pm

Hi
Looks like a bug, see this;
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2009-11/msg01102.html

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.37-0.1-default
up 16:14, 3 users, load average: 0.27, 0.07, 0.03
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 190.18

siftspam · November 16, 2009, 8:49pm

This does appear to be an upgrade bug. Yesterday, I upgraded from 11.1 to 11.2. Today, I discovered the same problem as reported above – no local mail delivery and relay.db errors in the mail.err log. After applying your workaround, local mail started working again.

Thanks for your post!

Eldert · November 16, 2009, 9:43pm

Thanks very much. This solution works for me also. My postfix appeared broken after upgrading to 11.2, but is fixed again.

kaisere · November 17, 2009, 1:07pm

Had the same problem after update to 11.2
My fix was:

disable_dns_lookups = yes

Josef

j_xavier · November 21, 2009, 12:17am

ah, just revisited this thread to convey my eventual solution and i see that some others had the same result.

my haste to fix made me err in opening the Yast2 Mail Server module and starting a Standard server (which i didn’t need), therefore ken_yap’s solution didn’t immediately work.

when the lightbulb came on, i went to Yast2>SysConfigEditor>Network>Mail>General>Config_Type and changed it back to “undef” (revoking the Standard Mail server i had initiated previously)…and then did the “postmap…etc” command that ken previously gave to generate the relay.db file. then “postfix reload” and it was fixed.

thanks again ken

guess all that upgraded from 11.1 will run into this.

ken_yap · November 21, 2009, 12:40am

Perhaps one of you might be so kind to enter it into Novell’s bugzilla so that something will be done about it? Just say that relay.db was not found but relay was there and the workaround. Perhaps point them to this thread. The devs will figure out what needs to be fixed.

I haven’t upgraded yet so I don’t have firsthand experience of this bug. But it’s good to know ahead of time.

anna_tabanna · December 5, 2009, 10:18am

openSuSE 11.2 : have recently done a fresh install [previously with openSuSE 10.3]

thanks . . . I have tried this and Ken’s solutions

I am not experienced [just a hobby-user]

But : am still getting NO local mail, & have this message from

/var/log/warn:

“warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS lookups disabled”

I remain bewildered . . . Help will be appreciated

thanks
Anna

malcolmlewis · December 5, 2009, 5:04pm

Hi
Did you see try the modification to the /etc/postfix/main.cf file here?
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2009-11/msg01102.html

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.39-0.3-default
up 19:53, 3 users, load average: 0.23, 0.07, 0.02
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 190.18

anna_tabanna · December 5, 2009, 8:18pm

Hello Malcolm & thank you kindly :

am going to try "

" in /etc/postfix/main.cf which has the following:

home_mailbox = Maildir/

Comment that out, reload postfix, and you’ll see the old, familiar:

mail

. . .
Note - I don’t know why “home_mailbox = Maildir/” was used, so
commenting it out might well screw up something else."

these are comments of Mr Per Jessen, Zürich

on openSuSE list archive, Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:54:34 +0100 ]
…

Question: Should I edit BOTH main.cf.default and main.cf.SuSEconfig in the /etc/postfix directory ??

Thanks
Anna - in a maze of bewilderment

anna_tabanna · December 5, 2009, 8:54pm

Hello Forum

sadly the idea of Mr Per in Zurich, did not work for me

. . .

But : am still getting NO local mail, & have this message from

/var/log/warn:

“warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS lookups disabled”

What to try next please ??

thanks
Anna

malcolmlewis · December 5, 2009, 10:02pm

Hi
Are you using NIS passwords?

So what happens if you run the following command where <username> is
you login username;


mailx -s "Test" <username>@localhost
Enter some text and press return then enter a .  then press return again
..

After the . "period’ you should see EOT

Then from the command line;


mail

At this point if it’s not working check the /var/log/mail logs.

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.39-0.3-default
up 1 day 0:45, 2 users, load average: 0.06, 0.07, 0.07
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 190.18

anna_tabanna · December 5, 2009, 11:02pm

Hello Malcolm

Thank you : I have types the Code exactly as you say

: then, when I command #mail . . . the error response is:

“No mail for tabanna”

I look in /var/log/mail.warn

the error message is :

“warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS lookups
disabled”

…

I do not know anything about <NIS>

How please can I set-up NIS domain name & enable NIS look-ups??

thank you
Anna

malcolmlewis · December 6, 2009, 12:21am

Hi
What about the /var/log/mail /var/log/mail/info /var/log/mail.err logs?

Here is what happens for me; http://pastebin.com/m595141e3

Just to reconfirm you doing all this as your user not root?

When you set the system up, did you set the password file
as /etc/passwd? Or are you using NIS for your password management?

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.39-0.3-default
up 1 day 3:00, 3 users, load average: 0.06, 0.11, 0.08
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 190.18

anna_tabanna · December 6, 2009, 9:54am

Thank you Malcolm

I have been testing as Root, but when I test as User, the result is the same:

“No mail for tabanna”

I am totally ignorant : Imagine that Passwords are handled by /etc/passwd . . . I do not even know what NIS is !!

/var/log/mail.info says:

Dec 6 10:17:01 AIG postfix/pickup[10080]: D92E6714F: uid=1000 from=<tabanna>
Dec 6 10:17:01 AIG postfix/cleanup[10312]: D92E6714F: message-id=<20091206081701.D92E6714F@AIG.loca
Dec 6 10:17:01 AIG postfix/qmgr[29682]: D92E6714F: from=<tabanna@AIG.localdomain>, size=613, nrcpt=
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/local[10314]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS look
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/local[10314]: D92E6714F: to=<tabanna@AIG.localdomain>, orig_to=<root>, r
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/cleanup[10312]: 0F2277151: message-id=<20091206081702.0F2277151@AIG.loca
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/qmgr[29682]: 0F2277151: from=<>, size=2544, nrcpt=1 (queue active)
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/bounce[10315]: D92E6714F: sender non-delivery notification: 0F2277151
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/qmgr[29682]: D92E6714F: removed
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/local[10314]: 0F2277151: to=<tabanna@AIG.localdomain>, relay=local, dela
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/qmgr[29682]: 0F2277151: removed
…

my /var/log/ says :

Dec 6 09:11:59 AIG postfix/local[9212]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS looku
Dec 6 09:17:01 AIG postfix/local[9358]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS looku
Dec 6 09:26:15 AIG postfix/local[9515]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS looku
Dec 6 10:17:02 AIG postfix/local[10314]: warning: dict_nis_init: NIS domain name not set - NIS look

What to do please??
&
How to do it??

thanks

malcolmlewis · December 6, 2009, 3:08pm

Hi
The above bit from indicates you are using AIG.localdomain, what
happens if you try;


mailx -s "Test" tabanna@AIG.localdomain

Also what’s in /etc/hosts for the loopback 127.0.0.1 and 2?

It should be


127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.2 AIG.localdomain AIG

Assuming your machine name is AIG.

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.39-0.3-default
up 1 day 17:52, 2 users, load average: 0.11, 0.12, 0.13
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 190.18