Multiple domains on local scalix server

[les]

Hi just need some clarification....

I have a Scalix SBE server which has 3 domains, say domian1.com, domain2.com and domain3.com

I want to have the scalix server pickup email for all domains. In the past, usually with sendmail its just an edit to the access file and an email to user1@domain1.com or user1@domain2.com or user1@domain3.com would all end up in the same mailbox.

in Scalix its not so straight forward from what i've seen and tried.

I'll outline the steps i think necessary and why below, ask a couple of questions and just need this to be verified....

1. add all domain names to /etc/mail/local-host-names
(this means sendmail will deliver locally for all domains)

2. add all domain names to /etc/mail/access for RELAY and "re-hash" the file.
(this means sendmail will relay for the local domains)

3. Login to SAC, add the domains in the administration settings.
(thus scalix can accept mail for all domains)

4. Add aliases for each domain to each users account.
From what i tested if a user did not have a user1@domain2.com address then you would get a user unknown.
When adding a users additional email address for a different domain it didn't actually start working until after restartnig scalix. is this normal?????

5. edit /var/opt/scalix/sys/smtpd.cfg and add similar RELAY line to include the additional domains??
(Is this necessary??)

have i missed anything? Is anything above not necessary? is there an easier way without adding additional addresses for every user on the additional domains?

TIA

[AussieOwner]

Hi Les

The only step in your list that is absolutely necessary is step 4.

Step 1 & 2 from your list are not necessary.

Step 3, is needed only to create new users via SAC. This has not affect on commands from the command line. Basically, this step adds the new domains to the drop down list in SAC when you add an email address for a new users.

I dont believe that Step 5 is necessary although im not at my lab at the moment to verify this with absolute certainty.

Darrell

[les]

Hi Les

The only step in your list that is absolutely necessary is step 4.

Step 1 & 2 from your list are not necessary.

It is if you dont want to have sendmail rely on MX records for mail delivery, Local delivery should be local, you shouldn't have to do a DNS lookup for that, what if the DNS server is on another server and suddenly beocmes unavailable for lookups?

Refer to this post in the forum...(slightly differnet topic but relevant)
http://www.scalix.com/community/viewtop ... add+domain

Step 3, is needed only to create new users via SAC. This has not affect on commands from the command line. Basically, this step adds the new domains to the drop down list in SAC when you add an email address for a new users.

I dont believe that Step 5 is necessary although im not at my lab at the moment to verify this with absolute certainty.

Darrell

Im guessing at this, i too haven't got my internal lab in order to test, and didn't want to do it on a live server. But i'd like to know if its necessary

What about Step 4??? (ofcourse add aliases) but....

Is it normal to have to restart scalix to have an additional address added for a user (when its user1@domain2.com) be usable?

When i tested and added an alias (user1@domain2.com) for a user (user1@domain1.com) via sac,i found i could not send to the alias until scalix was restarted.
I would hope it wouldn't need that done every time, is there an easier way, like say "newaliases" in the sendmail world???

TIA

[kanderson]

Adding a new alias to a scalix user should be effective immediately. Nothing needs to be restarted or refreshed.

DNS MX records will not be used for sending internal email.

***Note that the following explaination is meant to explain at a high level how this works, it isn't complete, or 100% accurate, especially for Enterprise Edition with multiple servers.

Basically the way scalix works is that it has a table of known email addresses. If the recipient is on that list, then the email is delivered. There is no need to resolve which server or anything else. You could add a totally bogus email address with a domain that you also obviously don't own. Your license would give you action, but aside from that the message would still be delivered. (IE: billg@microsoft.com or president@whitehouse.gov) Scalix does not verify that this is the correct server to recieve the email, it simply verifies that the email address is known on this server or not.

If it isn't known on your server, then the message is passed to sendmail for outbound processing, and is sent. You don't even need a DNS server to be available for internal email to be processed.

If you want to simplify it, you can go in SAC, and add the additional domains so that new users are automatically created with all 3 (or more) domains already added.

[les]

Adding a new alias to a scalix user should be effective immediately. Nothing needs to be restarted or refreshed.

DNS MX records will not be used for sending internal email.

If you want to simplify it, you can go in SAC, and add the additional domains so that new users are automatically created with all 3 (or more) domains already added.

Ok i've done a little more testing and investigation....let me state my problem clearly.

Perhaps i'm doing something wrong.....

In my setup ...

Sendmail listens on 127.0.0.1
Scalix listens on all other interfaces (say 192.168.1.1)

You are quite right with aliases, they are effectively immediately in scalix however......

If i telnet to 192.168.1.1 25 and attempt to send to the alias - no problem.

If i telnet to 127.0.0.1 25 and attempt to send to the alias i get "User Unknown".

Only after i restart sendmail will i get "Recipient OK" when telnetting to 127.0.0.1 25

This may not be an issue as extenral mail never comes into 127.0.0.1, only outbound from Scalix, which it cant deliver locally.

I will be integrating spamassassin via the sendmail milter and i guess any local machine mail (i.e. cron mail via root etc) should get delivered to the proper address via the default domain.

When testing i was using 127.0.0.1 to test smtp, was i barking up the wrong tree?

TIA

[AussieOwner]

Les...

Ok.. the 127.0.0.1 explains things a bit.. I was ready to get in my car and drive 40 miles to test this in my lab to prove to myself i was not crazy. :-)

So the short answer is yes, you should be using the ip of the machine or the hostname; not 127.0.0.1 or localhost.

Sorry for the confusion.

Darrell
The AussieOwner

[les]

Les...

Ok.. the 127.0.0.1 explains things a bit.. I was ready to get in my car and drive 40 miles to test this in my lab to prove to myself i was not crazy. :-)

So the short answer is yes, you should be using the ip of the machine or the hostname; not 127.0.0.1 or localhost.

Sorry for the confusion.

Darrell
The AussieOwner

glad i saved you the trip. :wink:

i'm a little confused myself, used to standard imap based servers like cyrus and courier. A different kettle of fish for Scalix, but its all just more stuff to learn and get used to, still got some empty brain cells to fill. :wink:

Thanks for your help.