[olug] just curious

mesc mescie at home.com
Wed Nov 8 21:23:27 UTC 2000


If I configure netscape messenger to get local mail it won't get my mail from
my isp's mail server too (POP3)correct?

            Gary Martin


"Mark A. Martin" wrote:

> I can't comment on whether you should bring your machine to the meeting
> but I can help clarify the difficulty you're having with logcheck.
> logcheck is simply using the local mail facility that you have on your
> machine.  There is probably nothing wrong with logcheck or how you have
> it configured.  The problem is that Netscape 4.x can only retrieve mail
> from one server (unless they're IMAP servers).  This can be a remote
> machine, say at your ISP, school, or work, or it can be your local
> machine.  (According to what I've read, Mozilla doesn't suffer from this
> limitation.  However, Mozilla currently lacks certain things you might
> need and is slower and more unstable.)  This means that if you're going
> to use Netscape to read and send mail, you probably need to make sure
> that all of your mail is going to the same place.
>
> It looks like you're currently retrieving your mail from your ISP
> (@home).  (Of course, the reply-to field in your mail headers is a very
> weak indication of this.)  I'm assuming that this means that your
> machine is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.  If what I've said
> is true, you have three choices.
>
> 1. You could have the output from logcheck sent to your ISP and then
> continue to have Netscape retrieve your mail there.  This would involve
> making sure that the mail transfer agent (MTA) on your local machine is
> properly configured to send mail to remote addresses.  You would also
> probably have to forward the mail from your local account or configure
> logcheck to mail your remote account.
>
> 2. You could have all mail forwarded from your ISP to your local
> machine.  You would need to make sure that your local mail facilities
> are configured properly to deliver mail and you might even want to make
> sure that they're configured properly to send mail from your local
> machine.  You would also need to configure Netscape to retrieve your
> mail (and possibly send it) locally and use a movemail program to move
> mail from your local mailbox to where Netscape expects to find it.
>
> 3. Run an IMAP server on your local machine and configure Netscape to
> retrieve local and remote mail.  This will not work if the remote server
> is not an IMAP server.
>
> I do not recommend choice #1 because it means sending sensitive local
> mail to the @home network, where it could easily be hijacked.  I don't
> know the details of #3 and can't even be sure that it's feasible because
> I haven't investigated that possibility.  I strongly recommend choice
> #2.  Unfortunately, implementing choice #2 is a little complicated.
> But, since your machine is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, you
> should make sure that your local mail facilities are properly configured
> anyway.  Otherwise, you might be leaving yourself open to attack.
>
> I can't provide a step-by-step procedure for implementing choice #2
> because what you need to do depends on the various pieces of mail
> software that you are running.  However, I can point you to some
> documentation.  I remember you saying that you're running Mandrake.  If
> so, then you're probably using Postfix as your local MTA.
>
> Documentation to help you understand Postfix is available from a nearby
> mirror of the Postfix web site:
>
> http://postfix.capital-internet.net/start.html
>
> You might also have a local copy of this documentation under /usr/doc.
> I recommend reading all of the Postfix documentation so you get a better
> understanding of how mail and Postfix work.  Once you've read through
> the Postfix docs, take a look at the Red Hat Postfix HOWTO
>
> http://www.redhat.com/support/docs/howto/RH-postfix-HOWTO/book1.html
>
> I recommend reading Section 8 on Postfix configuration and the beginning
> of Section 9 on the stand-alone configuration for the home user or
> possibly Section 9.2 on the home network.  If you have difficulty,
> consult the Postfix FAQ
>
> http://postfix.capital-internet.net/faq.html
>
> or the Red Hat Postfix FAQ
>
> http://www.redhat.com/support/docs/faqs/RH-postfix-FAQ/book1.html
>
> The other links on the documentation page on the Postfix site might also
> be worthwhile.
>
> If you aren't running Postfix, try looking at the Email section of the
> Linux Adminstrator's Security Guide from the Linux Documentation
> Project, which is located at
>
> http://www.linuxdoc.org/LDP/lasg/servers/email/index.html
>
> This will give you an overview and point you to the primary web site for
> whatever mail software you're running.
>
> To help you understand how to configure Netscape properly, see
> "CONFIGURING NETSCAPE MAIL ON UNIX"
>
> http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/demo/movemail.html
>
> This is an old document but is still pertinent.  I suggest reading the
> entire document but pay particular attention to the section on using
> movemail.  You shouldn't need an external movemail program.  The
> movemail built into Netscape works just fine under Linux.
>

> The key to getting everything working is to get a clear conception of
> what you're trying to accomplish.  I suggest writing down your
> mail-related goals and keeping notes as you go.  Start from the goal of
> receiving and sending mail locally.  There are some details that I
> haven't discussed, such as establishing the correct email aliases so
> that responses are sent to the right place and your headers make sense
> locally and remotely, but you should start getting a clearer picture of
> these issues once you read through some of the documentation.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Mark
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mark A. Martin                                  Dept of Applied Mathematics
> http://www.amath.washington.edu/~mmartin        University of Washington
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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