How to Set Up a Local Mail Alias File

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

2. Become root on the mail server.

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

   1. Add an entry for each mail client.

   2. Change the entry Postmaster: root to the mail address of the person who is designated as postmaster.

      See "How to Set Up the Postmaster Alias" for more information.

   3. If you have created a mailbox for administration of a mail server, create an entry for root: mailbox@mailserver.

   4. Save the changes.

4. Type newaliases and press Return.

   This creates an alias file in binary form that sendmail can use. The file is stored in the /etc/mail/aliases.dir and /etc/mail/aliases.pag files.

5. Copy the /etc/mail/aliases, the /etc/mail/aliases.dir, and /etc/mail/aliases.pag files to each of the other systems.

   When you copy all three files you do not need to run the newaliases command on each of the other systems.

   You can copy the files by using the rcp or rdist commands or by using a script that you create for this purpose. Remember that you must update all the /etc/mail/aliases files each time you add or remove a mail client.