I'm trying to get a UUCP connection for transfering mail up and running.
The purpose is to allow a remote system B server to call system A and be
able to pick up and deliver mail messages for a group of people. I have
several questions that could use a few clarifications:
1) If system B is always calling system A (and system A never has to call
system B), then system A does not need an entry for system B in its
/etc/uucp/Systems file, correct? System A would only need to setup a user
with a shell as /usr/lib/uucico and have an entry in the Permissions file
similar to:
LOGNAME=nuucp \
READ=/ WRITE=/ COMMANDS=uucp \
SENDFILES=yes REQUEST=yes VALIDATE=username
2) Currently, all the people who are suppose to have their email picked up
by the uucp client have an entry in the aliases file pointing to the uucp
user name that is used by the remote system to log in. This way the client
can just go into /var/mail and grab the appropriate file. The problem is
how does the remote client send mail out on behalf of the users it is
calling in for? Could it just dump the files in the mail queue directory
or should it issue some sort of mail command to send the mail out?
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SUMMARY OF ANSWERS:
1) Both systems should have an entry in the Systems files. The one that
gets all the phone calls can be set so that it cannot call the other system
by setting the call time to NEVER.
2) A direct quote from Jay Lessert (thanks):
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The usual way to do this is:
- sendmail notices that the destination is a uucp host
- sendmail has a Muucp mailer defined which runs uux (with
an rmail argument) on the message
Here's fragments from a SunOS5 /etc/mail/main.cf, to give you an idea:
# resolve UUCP-style names
R<@$-.uucp>:$+ $#uucp $@$1 $:$2 @host.uucp:...
R$+<@$-.uucp> $#uucp $@$2 $:$1 user@host.uucp
# UUCP Mailer specification
Muucp, P=/usr/bin/uux, F=msDFMhuU, S=13, R=23,
A=uux - -r -a$f $h!rmail ($u)
This assumes that your email destination is something like joe_bob@A.uucp.
You can also set up uucp as your gateway mailer (on A, at least...),
so that anything that A doesn't add is automatically forwarded to B.
# major relay mailer - typical choice is "ddn" if you are on the
# Defense Data Network (e.g. Arpanet or Milnet)
DMsmartuucp
# Pass other valid names up the ladder to our forwarder
R$*<@$*.$=T>$* $#$M $@$R $:$1<@$2.$3>$4 user@domain.known
# "Smart" UUCP mailer: Uses UUCP transport but domain-style naming
Msmartuucp, P=/usr/bin/uux, F=CmsDFMhuU, S=22, R=22,
A=uux - -r $h!rmail ($u)
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I haven't yet tried the above changes, but they seem very reasonable.
Others that responded and helped out were:
Nareddy Venugopal Reddy
Stephen Harris
Jim Harmon