[ale] odd email issue

[Geoffrey Myers]

Lightner, Jeff wrote:
> Since you have the issue running it as root from CLI then it makes sense
> it has same issue from root cron.   Try running it in your user cron
> instead.  (i.e. as your normal user run "crontab -e" and add the job
> there.)
> 
> If that works then it may still have to do with environment differences
> between root and your normal user.   If you're becoming root by doing
> "su -" try doing "su" without the dash instead - that way your root
> session inherits the original user's environment instead of invoking
> root's environment.  If the command then works from CLI as root then you
> know it is an environmental difference.

How is it possible that root could be using a different outgoing mail 
server?  Sendmail is configured for localhost only.  This is the part 
that is confusing to me.

> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of
> Geoffrey Myers
> Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:51 AM
> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [ale] odd email issue
> 
> Lightner, Jeff wrote:
>> Is the cron job you're running the user's cron or root's cron?
> 
> root cron.
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of
>> Geoffrey Myers
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:20 AM
>> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
>> Subject: Re: [ale] odd email issue
>>
>> Geoffrey Myers wrote:
>>> David Tomaschik wrote:
>>>> On Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 8:52 AM, Geoffrey Myers
>>>> <lists at serioustechnology.com> wrote:
>>>>> Robert Coggins wrote:
>>>>>> On 6/15/2011 8:11 AM, Geoffrey Myers wrote:
>>>>>>> So, I've got sendmail configured so it uses localhost for sending
>> email.
>>>>>>>    As a normal user I can send email like this:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> date|mail email at domain
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yet, I've recently configured /etc/aliases to send root email to
>> my
>>>>>>> personal email address:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> root:           email at domain
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> But I get delayed email messages from 1and1, my domain host for
>> these
>>>>>>> emails because my machine name (centsovm.serioustechnology.com)
> is
>> not
>>>>>>> valid.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So, how is this possible?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Maybe it has something to do with not being able to contact that
>>>>>> server.  I cannot resolve that address.
>>>>> The issue is, when I send it from the command line, it is
> apparently
>>>>> using my localhost.  When the cron job runs and redirects email via
>>>>> /etc/aliases, it appears to be using the mail server for my hosting
>> company.
>>>>> Why the inconsistency?
>>>>>
>>>>> Really, how is this even possible?
>>>> Do you have sendmail configured to use a relayhost?  Would you mind
>>>> putting headers from the two different emails on a pastebin
> somewhere
>>>> for comparison?
>>> No relayhost.  I'll see if I can get some useful header info.  What 
>>> baffles me is it appears that this one machine uses localhost from
> the
>>> command line and my hosting company mail server for cron output.
>>>
>>> How is that even possible?
>> Here's more to this oddity.  I run this on the command line as my
> normal
>> user:
>>
>> date|mail user at domain
>>
>> where I'm sending email to my email address.  Comes through fine.
>>
>> If I do the same thing as root, the email does not come through.
>>
>> ????
>>
>>
>>
> 
> 


-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

"I predict future happiness for America if they can prevent
the government from wasting the labors of the people under
the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson