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System Administration Guide: Network Services

ProcedureHow to Set Up a Local Mail Alias File

Use the following procedure to resolve aliases with a local mail alias file.

  1. Compile a list of each of your users and the locations of their mailboxes.

  2. Become an root on the mail server or assume an equivalent role.

    Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

  3. Edit the /etc/mail/aliases file and make the following entries.

    1. Add an entry for each user.


      user1: user2@host.domain
      user1

      Use the new alias name.

      user2@host.domain

      Use the actual address for the new alias.

    2. Ensure that you have a Postmaster: root entry.


      # cat /etc/mail/aliases
..
Postmaster: root

    3. Add an alias for root. Use the mail address of the person who is designated as the postmaster.


      # cat /etc/mail/aliases
..
root: user@host.domain.com
      user@host.domain.com

      Use the assigned address of the designated postmaster.

  4. Rebuild the alias database.


    # newaliases

    The configuration of the AliasFile option in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf determines whether this command generates in binary form either the single file, /etc/mail/aliases.db, or the pair of files, /etc/mail/aliases.dir and /etc/mail/aliases.pag.

  5. Perform one of the following steps to copy the file or files that were generated.

    1. (Optional) Copy the /etc/mail/aliases, the /etc/mail/aliases.dir, and the/etc/mail/aliases.pag files to each of the other systems.

      You can copy the three files by using the rcp or rdist commands. Refer to the rcp(1) man page or the rdist(1) man page for more information. Alternately, you can create a script for this purpose.

      When you copy these files, you do not need to run the newaliases command on each of the other systems. However, remember that you must update all the /etc/mail/aliases files each time you add or remove a mail client.

    2. (Optional) Copy the /etc/mail/aliases and the /etc/mail/aliases.db files to each of the other systems.

      You can copy these files by using the rcp or rdist commands. Refer to the rcp(1) man page or the rdist(1) man page for more information. Alternately, you can create a script for this purpose.

      When you copy these files, you do not need to run the newaliases command on each of the other systems. However, remember that you must update all the /etc/mail/aliases files each time you add or remove a mail client.