Hi Folks,
I've been rebuilding a server that was working fine, but then crashed.
In the process I've installed a newer (current) version of Postfix, and
suddenly I'm seeing an aliasing problem that I've never seen before.
Maybe somebody can help figure this out.
This has to do with the interactions between Postfix and my mailing list
manager (sympa):
Key piece of information, messages from the outside, addressed to
mfidel...@fidelman.net are properly delivered to my local mailbox:
mfidel...@fidelman.net is a virtual address that's mapped by
virtual_alias_maps mfidelman
mfidelman, in turn is an alias (/etc/aliases) to my local mailbox
- mail, from outside, to mfidel...@fidelman.net - is delivered just fine
Here's what's NOT working: a message addressed to
blsparents-requ...@lists.neighborhoods.net SHOULD end up in my local
mailbox, and it is, but it's ending up there as a BOUNCE.
The basic flow of events:
Incoming processing:
- received by postfix (for blsparents-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net -
virtual address)
- passed to amavisd-new, clamav, spamassin
- returned marked clean
- postfix then delivers the message to sympa (reports: delivered to
command: /home/sympa/bin/queue blsparents-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net)
----- this is corrent
- postfix deques the message
<so far so good>
Sympa does it's thing - in this case looking up the email name
associated with blsparents-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net
- in this case, sympa looks up the request address in its database, and
generates a message to mfidel...@fidelman.net
- sympa passes this back to postfix via /usr/bin/sendmail
- here's where things get funny:
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/pickup[6631]: A044638C281: uid=114
from=<sympa-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net>
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/cleanup[10504]: A044638C281:
message-id=<49e4f58d.8030...@meetinghouse.net>
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/qmgr[3990]: A044638C281:
from=<sympa-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net>, size=1678, nrcpt=1 (queue
active)
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/error[10574]: A044638C281:
to=<mfidel...@fidelman.net>, relay=none, delay=0.35,
delays=0.34/0/0/0.01, dsn=5.0.0, status=bounced (User unknown in virtual
alias table)
notice the "user unknown in virtual alias table" - even though, under
other circumstances postfix processes this properly
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/bounce[10544]: A044638C281: sender
non-delivery notification: A6EAC38C289
Apr 14 16:45:17 server1 postfix/qmgr[3990]: A044638C281: removed
I ultimately receive a bounce message as follows (unimportant pieces
removed):
From: mailer-dae...@server1.neighborhoods.net (Mail Delivery System)
X-Original-To: sympa-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net
Delivered-To: sympa-requ...@server1.neighborhoods.net
<note: sympa-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net is a virtual alias that maps
to postmaster which in turn aliases to my local mailbox>
Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
To: sympa-requ...@lists.neighborhood.net
Auto-Submitted: auto-replied
This is the mail system at host server1.neighborhoods.net.
I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not
be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below.
For further assistance, please send mail to postmaster.
If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the attached returned message.
The mail system
<mfidel...@fidelman.net>: User unknown in virtual alias table
----------
so... obviously something is messed up, but what
- under some circumstances mfidel...@fidelman.net is properly handled
- under other circumstances it's not recognized
any ideas what might be wrong, or tests to run to narrow things down?
Thanks very much,
Miles Fidelman
--
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is. .... Yogi Berra
