configuring mutt

[Cameron Simpson]

On 28May2013 12:57, Richard Vickery <richard.vickeryrv at gmail.com> wrote:
| On Tue, May 28, 2013 at 9:51 AM, Bill Oliver <vendor at billoblog.com> wrote:
| > On Mon, 27 May 2013, Richard Vickery wrote:
| >  Sorry for the HTML code; I'm trying to fix it. However, I yum-installed
| >> mutt and attempted to send the following email:
| >> [snip]
| >
| > Does this happen with all email, or only email to fedoraproject?

In particular, it looks like the mail system could not connect to
the fedoraproject smtp service.

Clearly then, it left mutt.

The framing of the bounce message (and the fact that it bounced at all,
versus failing to be handed to your mail system) says:

  - mutt did deliver the mail to your mail system
  - mstmp is probably not involved at all

| > I'm not a mutt expert -- I have it installed only so I can script
| > broadcast emails from the command line

I, on the other hand, use it as my main mailer.

| > -- but my impression is that it's
| > like pine in that it's a client, not a server, and  uses the mail server
| > software you have installed for sending (e.g. sendmail, postfix), and hands
| > off to that.  The error message you gave looks to me like a server issue.

All correct.

| >  Do you have another client on that box, like alpine, that does work?
| > Since the problem is a timeout, it sounds like the server is talking to
| > fedoraproject, which means, to me, that mutt has handed it off.

Looks like the server is failing to talk to fedora project.  And
since it's failed for 4 hours, I'd guess there is a firewall between
the system and the fedoraproject SMTP server, not allows access to
port 25.

Probably it is his ISP; many block outbound SMTP from client systems
to mitigate spam from comprimised clients.

The correct fix here, if this is the case, is to configure the local
mail system to send via the ISP's SMTP server.

This setting is called a "smart host" in sendmail and a "relay host"
in postfix; what is your local mail system?

| > 5) Fedoraproject's MTA was actually down when you tried to talk to it, and
| > you just have bad timing.  It will clear up later.

FOr 4 hours? Unlikely. Hence the firewall suggestion.

| I went to a site for configuration which suggested I install these three
| packages, one of which we (Fedora) have abandoned in 2008 (may not be these
| packages):
| 
| fetchmail msmtp procmail

Fetchmail is for collecting mail. I use getmail myself, but it is
irrelevant here.

msmtp is for sending email. Mutt normally hands off the the host's
mail system via the "sendmail" command (like _every_ UNIX mail
program is supposed to). MSTMP is an alternative; it does direct
SMTP delivery for people whose host mail system is no good for
whatever reason.

I recommend adjusting your host's mail system; running a local mail
system on your own machine is very nice, because all your mail
clients can use it and it has a decent queue; you can "send" email
when offline, for example, and the mail system will just pick up
again when online. It also means when things are wrong the mail
isn't lost, just queued.

procmail is a delivery program, used in conjunction with a tool
like ftechmail. It delivers fetched messages to mail folders according
to a set of rules. Also irrelevant here.

Cheers,
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au>

rap on ...
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10504&cid=439201