How to Set Up a Mail Host

A mail host resolves email addresses and reroutes mail within your domain. A good candidate for a mail host is a system that connects your systems to the outside world or to a parent domain.

1. Become root on the mail host system.

2. Use the Administration Tool to edit the /etc/hosts file.

   Add the word mailhost after the IP address and system name of the mail host system. The system is designated as a mail host.

3. Create an entry for the new mail host in one of the hosts files.

   If you are using NIS or NIS+, add an entry including a host alias called mailhost to the host entry for the new mail host.

   If you are not using NIS or NIS+, you must create an entry in /etc/hosts for each system on the network. The entry should use this format: IP address mailhost_name mailhost

4. Type cp /etc/mail/main.cf /etc/mail/sendmail.cf and press Return.

   This copies and renames the /etc/mail/main.cf file.

5. Reboot the mail host and test your mail configuration.

   See "Testing the Mail Configuration" for information.