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Problems sending mail: Difference between Mail and Mailx?

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Operating Systems Linux Red Hat Problems sending mail: Difference between Mail and Mailx?
# 1  
Old 09-04-2013
Problems sending mail: Difference between Mail and Mailx?
Whats the difference between mail and mailx?

I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem where I can send mail from server A with this
Code:
`echo $MESSAGE | mail -s "$SUBJECT" -r $FROM $RECIPIENTS`

command but executing the same command from server B throws me this error (Both servers are RHEL)

Code:
    mail: invalid option -- r
    Usage: mail [-iInv] [-s subject] [-c cc-addr] [-b bcc-addr] to-addr ...
                [-- sendmail-options ...]
           mail [-iInNv] -f [name]
           mail [-iInNv] [-u user]

Now... going through mail manpages to ty to understand whats happening, `man mail` gives me this:

In Server A

Code:
    MAILX(1)                         User Commands                        MAILX(1)
    
    NAME
           mailx - send and receive Internet mail
    
    SYNOPSIS
           mailx [-BDdEFintv~] [-s subject] [-a attachment ] [-c cc-addr] [-b bcc-addr] [-r from-addr] [-h hops]
                  [-A account] [-S variable[=value]] to-addr . . .
           mailx [-BDdeEHiInNRv~] [-T name] [-A account] [-S variable[=value]] -f [name]
           mailx [-BDdeEinNRv~] [-A account] [-S variable[=value]] [-u user]


But in server B

Code:
    MAIL(1)                   BSD General Commands Manual                  MAIL(1)
    
    NAME
         mail - send and receive mail
    
    SYNOPSIS
         mail [-iInv] [-s subject] [-c cc-addr] [-b bcc-addr] to-addr... [-- sendmail-options...]
         mail [-iInNv] -f [name]
         mail [-iInNv] [-u user]

Now... if I try `man mailx` in server B I get:

Code:
  MAILX(P)                   POSIX Programmerâs Manual                  MAILX(P)
    
    PROLOG
           This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmerâs Manual.  The Linux implementation of this interface may differ
           (consult the corresponding Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior), or the interface may not  be  imple-
           mented on Linux.
    
    NAME
           mailx - process messages
    
    SYNOPSIS
       Send Mode
                  mailx [-s subject] address...
    
       Receive Mode
                  mailx -e
    
                  mailx [-HiNn][-F][-u user]
    
                  mailx -f[-HiNn][-F][file]

Server B has a different version of mail than Server A? Mailx and Mail are different things? I would like to use the -r option I use in server A but in server B and I don't really know whats happening.
# 2  
Old 09-04-2013
The -r option is not portable. Maybe on purpose because it's ideal for a spammer.
The default is the user who sends the mail, and the administrator put some rules to generate a sender address out of it. (And that's not safe against a professional spammer either.)
I like the old Unix mail or sendmail tools that do not even know a -s option, and you have to construct the mail header in SMTP style:
Code:
echo "\
Subject: $SUBJECT 
From: $FROM

$MESSAGE
" | mail $RECIPIENTS

NB an empty line indicates the end of the header section.
You can still try that with your advanced mail and mailx programs...
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