[ale] odd email issue

Wed Jun 15 16:06:23 EDT 2011

Lightner, Jeff wrote:
> Does CLI doing "su " rather than "su -" work?

same results.

> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of
> Geoffrey Myers
> Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 2:42 PM
> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [ale] odd email issue
> 
> Lightner, Jeff wrote:
>> In my earlier email I suggested checking environment differences and
>> specifically mentioned PATH.  In subsequent emails I've mentioned the
>> environment each time and so far I don't see that the suggested
>> comparison of environments for the root and normal user or cron and
> CLI
>> has been done.
> 
> I've compared the environments.  I've used fully qualified paths in my 
> latest examples, although I resolved that early on.
> 
> I don't see how it is remotely possible for an email from one user to 
> use a different server then another.  I do recall there used to be an 
> env variable defining the smtp server, but there is no reference to any 
> email server in the environment of either user.
> 
> I think my latest posting is pretty clear.  CLI from user works, 'su -' 
> to root does not.  Fully qualified paths for both date and mail used.
> 
>>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of JD
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 1:46 PM
>> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
>> Subject: Re: [ale] odd email issue
>>
>> I don't know how much help I can be, but ...
>>
>> 'date|mail user at domain'
>>
>> is trusting the $PATH. This is never a good idea in scripts.
>>
>> /bin/date |/usr/bin/mail user\@domain
>>
>> would be better and limit the environment a little more.
>> Also, in bash, you may need to escape the '@' with a \@.
>> On servers, /bin/sh for root may point to /bin/dash, not bash, leading
>> to other, unexpected behaviors.
>>
>> Probably nothing you don't already know and understand. If I were
>> troubleshooting this, I'd put everything into a script file, turn up
>> messages and look for the differences between each uid.  Cron
> definitely
>> doesn't bring the expected environment with it. It never has.
>>
>>
>> On 06/15/2011 12:24 PM, Geoffrey Myers wrote:
>>> 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.
>>>>>
>>>>> ????
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> 

-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

"I predict future happiness for America if they can prevent
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