[Mailman-Users] Hostname confusion

[Mark Sapiro]

MacShane, Tracy  wrote:

>I have a new Postfix 2.2 server and am trying to integrate Mailman 2.1
>with it. The Mailman package is that provided by RedHat, and I followed
>their config instructions during installation. I'm also using the
>postfix-to-mailman.py (2.1) script to make use of virtual domains.


I don't see where postfix-to-mailman.py is going to help you. I think
it's making things harder.


>I'm
>pretty much a n00b when it comes to *nix admin, although my Postfix
>server appears to be working happily.
>
>Now we come to the issue. My mail server's FQDN is server.domain.gov.au.
>I want to deliver mail to mailman at lists.altdomain.com.
>lists.altdomain.com does not exist as a DNS alias. I modified all the
>main.cf, transport and master.cf files for Postfix as specified in the
>script (eg. the transport file contains the line "lists.altdomain.com
>mailman:", and so on). When I try to send mail to my test mailman
>mailing list, the mail gets routed out to the MX server that is
>currently primary for the altdomain.com domain (and rejected there,
>since "mailman at lists.altdomain.com" doesn't exist on that server).


Yep. You either need to route mail to lists.altdomain.com that hits the
primary MX server to the lists.altdomain.com box, or you need a
separate MX record to do this. Also, if you are going to use
postfix-to-mailman.py, it has to be on the Mailman box, not the MX box.


>I think the issue is with the mm_cfg.py configuration. At present, I
>have the standard settings:
>
>DEFAULT_URL_HOST   = fqdn
>DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = fqdn


These domains should be the ones that are used to access the Mailman
web interface and to send mail to mailman from the outside, as they
are the ones that mailman will use for this purpose in generated URLs
and email addresses.

I.e., if an outside user posts to list at example.com, aet
DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST = 'example.com'
and if an outside user goes to a list's listinfo page at
http://www.example.com/mailman/listinfo/list, set
DEFAULT_URL_HOST = 'www.example.com'

Of course, these relate to host names, DNS entries, etc., but if the
servers, MTAs, DNS, etc are all set up properly, DEFAULT_URL_HOST and
DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST can be anything and the only things affected will
be advertised and linked URLs and email addresses and perhaps what
lists appear on listinfo and admin overview pages.

In other words, getting them wrong doesn't have any effect on whether
or not mail gets to Mailman.


>Do I need to change DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST to server.altdomain.com (not
>server.domain.gov.au), and have a corresponding alias entry in DNS?

Either that or you have to arrange in some other way for mail to the
DEFAULT_EMAIL_HOST domain to get to server.altdomain.com
>We
>absolutely cannot "move" the server to the other domain. Can I "cheat"
>and put an entry in the local hosts file instead? This server is
>currently in place for testing purposes only.
>
>Thanks!
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-- 
Mark Sapiro <msapiro at value.net>       The highway is for gamblers,
San Francisco Bay Area, California    better use your sense - B. Dylan