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Understanding Solaris 8 Mail Services

May 24, 2002

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Mail Services Files and Programs

Files for the mail service are located in three directories: /bin, /etc/mail, and /usr/lib. Users' mailboxes are located in the /var/mail directory. Table 7 lists the mail services programs.

Table 7 The Components of Mail Services

Command or File	Description
`$OPENWINHOME/bin/mailtool`	MUA.
`.sendmailvars.org_dir`	NIS+ version of `sendmailvars` table.
`/etc/default/sendmail`	Store options used to start `sendmail`. This command is new in the Solaris 8 release. In previous releases, `sendmail` options were added to the init script. Because you no longer need to edit init scripts to add `sendmail` options, upgrading systems is easier. See Chapter 2, "Customizing sendmail Configuration Files" for more information.
`/etc/mail/aliases`	Mail-forwarding information.
`/etc/mail/main.cf`	Sample configuration file for main systems.
`/etc/mail/sendmail.cf`	Configuration file for mail routing.
`/etc/mail/sendmail.subsidiary.cf`	Sample configuration file for subsidiary systems.
`/etc/mail/sendmailvars`	Table that stores macro and class definitions for lookup from `sendmail.cf` file.
`/usr/bin/mail`	MUA.
`/usr/bin/mailq`	Symbolic link to `/usr/lib/sendmail` that is used to print the headers of messages in the mail queue.
`/usr/bin/mailstats`	File that stores mail statistics generated by `sendmail` into `/etc/mail/sendmail.st` (if present).
`/usr/bin/mailx`	MUA.
`/usr/bin/mconnect`	Connect to the mailer for address verification and debugging.
`/usr/bin/newaliases`	Symbolic link to `/usr/lib/sendmail` that is used to rebuild the database for the mail aliases file.
`/usr/bin/praliases`	Display aliases in the `/etc/mail/aliases` file as key:value pairs. You can also specify an argument on the command line to display a matching key:value pair.
`/usr/dt/bin/dtmail`	CDE window-based MUA.
`/usr/dt/bin/dtmaillpr`	CDE electronic mail messaged print filter.
`/usr/lib/mail.local`	Delivery agent that delivers mail to mailboxes.
`/usr/lib/sendmail`	MTA.
`/usr/lib/smrsh`	Limit the number of commands that can be used to run the `"\|program"` syntax of `sendmail`. This freeware `sendmail` restricted shell is new in the Solaris 8 release.
`/usr/sbin/in.comsat`	Mail notification daemon.
`/usr/sbin/syslogd`	Daemon that implements the UNIX logging subsystem. `sendmail` sends logging information to this subsystem.

NOTE

Sites that used DNS with older releases of Solaris used the /usr/lib/sendmail.mx file to access mail exchange records. In the Solaris 8 release, this functionality is included in sendmail, and the /usr/lib/sendmail.mx file has been removed. You can configure the DNS nameservice with the /etc/nsswitch.conf file.

With sendmail version 8.9.3, you can use the /etc/mail directory to store tables that you activate with various m4 FEATURE macros.

You can create tables such as the following.

/etc/mail/genericstable
/etc/mail/mailertable
/etc/mail/virtusertable
/etc/mail/userdb

For example, to reference the /etc/mail/mailertable map, you include the following line in your .mc file.

FEATURE(´mailertable', ´hash -o /etc/mail/mailertable')dnl

See http://www.sendmail.org/m4/cf-readme.txt and Chapter 2, "Customizing sendmail Configuration Files" for more information on the purpose of each of these files.

Table 8 shows the contents of the /usr/lib/mail directory. These subdirectories are used with sendmail version 8.9.3 to customize and "compile" the sendmail configuration file. Refer to Chapter 2, "Customizing sendmail Configuration Files" for more information.

Table 8 Contents of the /usr/lib/mail Directory

Directory	Description
`m4`	General support routines. These very important routines process `.mc` files so that they can be used as configuration files. Do not change these routines without very careful consideration.
`cf`	Configuration files. The files have `.mc` suffixes, and must be processed with the m4 macro processor to be complete. The resulting output has a `.cf` suffix.
`ostype`	Definitions describing a particular operating system type. Use the `OSTYPE` macro in the `.mc` file to reference operating system types. Examples include `"bsd4.3"`, `"bsd4.4"`, `"sunos3.5"`, and `"sunos4.1"`.
`domain`	Definitions describing a particular domain. Use the `DOMAIN` macro in the `.mc` file to reference domains. Domain definitions are site dependent; for example, `"CS.Berkeley.EDU.m4"` describes hosts in the `CS.Berkeley.EDU` subdomain.
`mailer`	Descriptions of mailers. Use the `MAILER` macro in the `.mc` file to reference mailer descriptions.
`sh`	Shell scripts used when building the `.cf` file from the `.mc` file in the `cf` subdirectory.
`feature`	Special features that you might want to include. Use the `FEATURE` macro to reference special features.

Table 9 shows the contents of the /bin directory that are used for mail services.

Table 9 Contents of the /bin Directory That Are Used for Mail

Name	Type	Description
`mail`	File	A mail user agent.
`mailcompat`	File	A filter to store mail in SunOS 4.x mailbox format.
`mailq`	Link	Link to `/usr/lib/sendmail`.
`mailstats`	File	Mail statistics generated by the `/etc/mail/sendmail.st` file (if present).
`mailx`	File	A mail user agent.
`newaliases`	Link	Link to `/usr/lib/sendmail` that is used to rebuild the database for the mail aliases file.

Table 10 shows the contents of the /etc/mail directory.

Table 10 Contents of the /etc/mail Directory

Name	Type	Description
`Mail.rc`	File	Default settings for the mailtool user agent.
`aliases`	File	Mail-forwarding information.
`aliases.dir`	File	Binary form of mail-forwarding information (created by running `newaliases`).
`aliases.pag`	File	Binary form of mail-forwarding information (created by running `newaliases`).
`mailx.rc`	File	Default settings for the `mailx` user agent.
`main.cf`	File	Sample configuration file for main systems.
`sendmail.cf`	File	Configuration file for mail routing.
`sendmail.hf`	File	Help file used by the SMTP `HELP` command.
`sendmail.pid`	File	File containing the `/usr/lib/sendmail -b -q1h` command.
`sendmail.st`	File	The `sendmail` statistics file. (If this file is present, `sendmail` logs the amount of traffic through each mailer.)
`sendmailvars`	File	Table that stores macro and class definitions for lookup from `sendmail.cf`.
`sendmailvars.org_dir`	Table	NIS+ version of `sendmailvars` table.
`subsidiary.cf`	File	Sample configuration file for subsidiary systems.

Table 11 shows the mail files in the /usr/lib directory.

Table 11 Mail Files in the /usr/lib Directory

Name	Description
`mail.local`	Mailer that delivers mail to mailboxes.
`sendmail`	The routing program, also known as the mail transport agent.

Spooling directories for delivered mail are located in the /var/mail directory, as shown in Table 12. Mail that has not been delivered is stored in the /var/spool/mqueue directory.

Table 12 Contents of the /var/mail Directory

Name	Type	Description
`mailbox1`	File	Mailboxes for delivered mail.
`mailbox2`	File	Mailboxes for delivered mail.
`mailbox3`	File	Mailboxes for delivered mail.

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