Hello,

I have yet an other problem.

My goal is to feed a mailing list to my INN server. I used to do this
with mailman, and mailman manage itself the setup, but now my mailing
list is managed with sympa that don't.

mailing list and usenet server are different machines.

fir test purpose I created a "test@dodin.fr.nf" user in a "test" mailing
list.

I added in /etc/aliases the line:

test: jdd, "| /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org -b /var/tmp
-t /var/tmp -d local culte.test -o /etc/news/mailpost.txt"

jdd receive the mails... but I have no post in culte.test, neither
mailpost.txt local file. One can subscribe to culte.test on dodin.fr.nf
and see the messages posted *directly* on the newsgroups are ok, but no
message from the test list.

I tried to send manually a message to mailpost

cat test.eml | /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org -b /var/tmp
-t /var/tmp -d local culte.test

(as test.eml I just copied a former message)

first time I got:

/etc/news> cat test.eml | /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org
-b /var/tmp -t /var/tmp -d local culte.test
inews failed: inews: warning: What server? inews: article will be spooled

if I repeat the command, I get:

/etc/news> cat test.eml | /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org
-b /var/tmp -t /var/tmp -d local culte.test
Duplicate article <sympa.1642846923.6555.653@culte.org>.

so something works. But what is the "server" mailpost asks for? inews
problem?

thanks
jdd

Bonjour Jean-Daniel,

> /etc/news> cat test.eml | /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org
> -b /var/tmp -t /var/tmp -d local culte.test
> inews failed: inews: warning: What server? inews: article will be spooled
>
> so something works. But what is the "server" mailpost asks for? inews
> problem?

I keep telling you that your installation is not yet finished, but do
not listen.
Did you read CHECKLIST?

https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/checklist.html

"""
Start with inn.conf; you must fill in [...] the NNTP server to use for
posts (server is commonly set to localhost).
"""

--
Julien ÉLIE

« Moi, je n'ai pas goûté le sel de cette plaisanterie. » (Astérix)

Le 22/01/2022 à 11:57, Julien ÉLIE a écrit :

> I keep telling you that your installation is not yet finished, but do
> not listen.

of course I do

> Did you read CHECKLIST?

yes

>
> https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/checklist.html
>
> """
> Start with inn.conf; you must fill in [...] the NNTP server to use for
> posts (server is commonly set to localhost).
> """
>
well, it's localhost as default, why don't this works? the error is no
more the same if I give full domain name,

> cat test.eml | /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost -a test@culte.org -b
/var/tmp -t /var/tmp -d local culte.test
inews failed: inews: cannot send article to server: 441 You are not
allowed to approve postings inews: article not posted

this is from hand, of course still no result from the mailing list :-(

sorry
jdd

Hi,

jdanield a tapoté le 22/01/2022 13:30:
> well, it's localhost as default, why don't this works? the error is no
> more the same if I give full domain name,

It may be a wrong configuration of your fqdn?

On my server :
$ hostname
rasp.pasdenom.info

But some commands (maybe inews) will by default (I don't know why) speak
with news.pasdenom.info

--
Stéphane

Le 23/01/2022 à 12:11, yamo' a écrit :
> Hi,
>
> jdanield a tapoté le 22/01/2022 13:30:
>> well, it's localhost as default, why don't this works? the error is no
>> more the same if I give full domain name,
>
> It may be a wrong configuration of your fqdn?

dunno :-(. I restored "localhost", rereading the doc it says "mostly
used", not "default". As fdqn, I often wonder id it's the domain name
(ie dodin.fr.nf) or including the hostname (here: ns507557)

>
> On my server :
> $ hostname
> rasp.pasdenom.info
>
> But some commands (maybe inews) will by default (I don't know why) speak
> with news.pasdenom.info
>
>
may be some alias to add to /etc/hosts?

thanks
jdd

On 1/23/22 6:50 AM, jdanield wrote:
> As fdqn, I often wonder id it's the domain name (ie dodin.fr.nf) or
> including the hostname (here: ns507557)

FQDN is the Fully Qualified Domain Name, meaning that it's supposed to
be the entire name. E.g. ns507557.dodin.fr.nf from your example.

IMHO, the output of `hostname` (without any parameters) /should/ be the
FQDN. Some people / Distributions (Debian) say that the output of
`hostname` should be unqualified.

There is a reason that Bash and Zsh have different variables for the
base name and the FQDN for use in the prompt and elsewhere. These
variables have the same value if the hostname doesn't contain the FQDN
and have the expected different values if the hostname does contain the
FQDN.

Bash:
\h the hostname up to the first `.'
\H the hostname

Zsh:
%m The hostname up to the first `.'.
%M The full machine hostname.

There's also the fact that every commercial Unix distribution that I've
checked have the FQDN in the hostname.

ProTip: use the fqdn for the hostname.

--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

Le 23/01/2022 à 19:19, Grant Taylor a écrit :
> On 1/23/22 6:50 AM, jdanield wrote:
>> As fdqn, I often wonder id it's the domain name (ie dodin.fr.nf) or
>> including the hostname (here: ns507557)
>
> FQDN is the Fully Qualified Domain Name, meaning that it's supposed to
> be the entire name. E.g. ns507557.dodin.fr.nf from your example.

yes, sound reasonable
>
> IMHO, the output of `hostname` (without any parameters) /should/ be the
> FQDN. Some people / Distributions (Debian) say that the output of
> `hostname` should be unqualified.

my openSUSE gives only

# hostname
ns507557

when /et/hosts have (now - the order of the domains names don't seems to
be relevant:

127.0.0.1 localhost dodin.fr.nf ns507557.dodin.fr.nf news.dodin.fr.nf

jdd

Le 23/01/2022 à 14:50, jdanield a écrit :

> may be some alias to add to /etc/hosts?
>

I added them but it don't seems to have made things better, but... I
received during my test session one message with a hint:

/usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost culte.test". Command output: Database
directory /var/lib/news is not writable

I was very surprised as I just did a full test with

inncheck -a -v -f --pedantic --perm

and applied all the patchs needed

(as advertised in checklist) so /var/lib/news was already owned by news:news

I had to make it chmod 777 and now it works.

I just wonder if this is not too unsecure?

thanks
jdd

Bonjour Jean-Daniel,

> I added them but it don't seems to have made things better, but... I
> received during my test session one message with a hint:
>
> /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost culte.test". Command output: Database
> directory /var/lib/news is not writable
>
> I had to make it chmod 777 and now it works.
>
> I just wonder if this is not too unsecure?

Maybe you could just setuid mailpost? (It will then run as the news
user and have access to the database.)

--
Julien ÉLIE

« Il y a deux sortes de justice : vous avez l'avocat qui connaît bien la
loi, et l'avocat qui connaît bien le juge ! » (Coluche)

Bonjour Jean-Daniel,

> /usr/lib/news/bin/mailpost culte.test". Command output: Database
> directory /var/lib/news is not writable
>
> I was very surprised as I just did a full test with
>
> inncheck -a -v -f --pedantic --perm
>
> and applied all the patchs needed
>
> (as advertised in checklist) so /var/lib/news was already owned by
> news:news

Incidentally, I see that you changed the "-b /var/tmp" option given in
the man page, and also in your previous messages in this thread.

That's why you faced these problems of write access.

Please note that the documentation says:
https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/inn/docs/mailpost.html

"Instead of /var/tmp, the mail spool directory can be specified, or any
other directory where the mailpost process has write access."

.... and here you changed the "-b /var/tmp" example to a directory where
mailpost (run as the mail user here) does not have write access...

--
Julien ÉLIE

« Il y a deux sortes de justice : vous avez l'avocat qui connaît bien la
loi, et l'avocat qui connaît bien le juge ! » (Coluche)

On 1/23/22 11:28 AM, jdanield wrote:
> my openSUSE gives only
>
> # hostname
> ns507557

I would argue that's wrong and that it should give you ns507557.dodin.fr.nf.

> when /et/hosts have (now - the order of the domains names don't seems to
> be relevant:
>
> 127.0.0.1 localhost dodin.fr.nf ns507557.dodin.fr.nf news.dodin.fr.nf

Why do you have what appears to be a domain name, dodin.fr.nf, as a
hostname alias?

The format of the hosts file is:

<IP> <canonical name> <alias>

Where you can have any number of aliases. (I assume there's an upper
bound, but I've never found it, nor looked for it.)

--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

Le 25/01/2022 à 02:01, Grant Taylor a écrit :
> On 1/23/22 11:28 AM, jdanield wrote:
>> my openSUSE gives only
>>
>> # hostname
>> ns507557
>
> I would argue that's wrong and that it should give you ns507557.dodin.fr.nf.

it's the choice of my openSUSE Leap distribution, no idea why

>
>> when /et/hosts have (now - the order of the domains names don't seems to
>> be relevant:
>>
>> 127.0.0.1 localhost dodin.fr.nf ns507557.dodin.fr.nf news.dodin.fr.nf
>
> Why do you have what appears to be a domain name, dodin.fr.nf, as a
> hostname alias?

to try fixing the wrong hostname

:-(
thanks
jdd

Le 25/01/2022 à 00:08, Julien ÉLIE a écrit :

> Incidentally, I see that you changed the "-b /var/tmp" option given in
> the man page, and also in your previous messages in this thread.

I tested dozen of variations :-(. I got the idea it was the default.
seems not :-(. man page also says: "Two paths are tried by default:
pathtmp as set in inn.conf, and then /var/tmp if pathtmp is not
writable." I wrongly supposed it was the same for db.

that said if the db have to be persistent, /var/tmp may be an unsecure place

> ... and here you changed the "-b /var/tmp" example to a directory where
> mailpost (run as the mail user here) does not have write access...
>

thanks. What I missed completely is "run as the mail user here". This
allowed me also to find mailpost logs in mails logs

that said, my mail<->news system still don't works and I'm asked
elsewhere :-(

thanks
jdd

On 1/25/22 12:55 AM, jdanield wrote:
> it's the choice of my openSUSE Leap distribution, no idea why

Nothing dictates that you can't go against your distribution's choice.

I change the hostname on every single Debian / Ubuntu system that I
administer to be the FQDN.

> to try fixing the wrong hostname

Adding the domain name the way you have will only ever be referenced if
you use it as a hostname. I doubt that you ever will.

I'd suggest fixing -- what I consider to be -- the underlying hostname
problem. Many different things will fail in weird ways with incorrect
hostnames. Fix the foundation and you fix, or at least simplify, a lot
of other problems.

--
Grant. . . .
unix || die