[rt-users] Fixes for possible remote email problems...

[Steve Wampler]

I have RT3.0.3 running happily with RedHat 8.0 and PosgreSQL 7.2.
However, it took a while - not because of RT3, but for other
aspects of my setup.  I thought I'd report the problems and
the fixes I found just in case anyone else has a similar setup.

Setup:  One machine IP address 1.2.3.4 hosting multiple virtual
        domains.  One of which: test.Y.Z, is reserved for RT
	use.  RT3 is configured to use Geert van der Pleog's
	procmail setup so there is no need to add queue names to
	/etc/aliases (all email to to test.Y.Z gets processed by
	procmail and piped to rt-mailgate).

Problem 1: Email to queues from outside machines was simply
        vanishing.

   Reason: The domain name test.Y.Z was define in DNS
        as a CNAME (DNS term) record pointing to Y.Z, so
	the *remote* MTA was converting queue at test.Y.Z
	to queue at Y.Z *before* sending the email.  (This
	took a while to find because queue at Y.Z was a valid
	user, hence the vanishing instead of bouncing).

   Solution: Change the CNAME record to an A (DNS term
        again) record pointing directly to 1.2.3.4.  The
	problem went away as soon as the DNS tables were
	propogated.

Problem 2: Outgoing RT3 messages were having their Repy-To:
        addresses converted from 'queue at test.Y.Z' to
	'queue at Y.Z' so replies to comments and responses
	also vanished.

   Reason: Sendmail was configured to masquerade outgoing
         email to Y.Z.

   Solution: Add MASQUERADE_EXCEPTION(`test.Y.Z')dnl to
         /etc/mail/sendmail.mc, remake sendmail.cf and
	 restart sendmail.

I hope someone finds this useful.
Steve

--
Steve Wampler     {sbw at tapestry.tucson.az.us}
The gods that smiled upon your birth are laughing now. -- fortune cookie