UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Oct 22 01:01:47 sendmail[3645]: My unqualified host name unknown; sleeping for retry
Oct 22 01:02:47 sendmail[3645]: unable to qualify my own domain name -- using short name

how to resolve this error
thanks

From sunsolve:

With SendMail 8.8 onwards, SendMail produces the following messages:

sendmail[694]: My unqualified host name (lawlor.) unknown; sleeping for retry
sendmail[694]: unable to qualify my own domain name (lawlor.) -- using short name
Problem Solution Top

The following table shows sendmail versions:

Solaris sendmail
========================================
7 8.9.1b
2.6 8.6
2.6 + 105395-05 (or greater) 8.8.8
2.5.1 8.6
2.5.1 + 103594-18 (or greater) 8.8.8
others + latest patches 8.6

That is, upgrading to Solaris 7, or patching 2.5.1/2.6 with the latest
sendmail patch (or applying the Recommended Patch set, which includes
the sendmail patch) will result in this behaviour.

Sendmail 8.8 onwards wants to determine a fully qualified hostname, so it
can derive the local domainname.

Several strategies are used, and upon failure produces:

sendmail[694]: My unqualified host name (lawlor.) unknown; sleeping for retry
sendmail[694]: unable to qualify my own domain name (lawlor.) -- using short name

Between the 1st and 2nd line, it will sleep for 60 seconds on the assumption
there has been a name service failure (ie network name service is still
initialising). After a minute, the 2nd message is produced and sendmail
continues without being able to determine the domainname.

The simpliest (and recommend solution) is to fully qualify the hostname
in /etc/hosts and list "files" first in the /etc/nsswitch.conf, eg:

/etc/nsswitch.conf:
hosts: files nisplus dns

/etc/hosts:
192.9.9.100 www www.sun.com

If "files" is not the first name service in /etc/nsswitch.conf, then the
first name service listed should return a fully qualified hostname.

It is possible for sendmail to use the NIS/NIS+ domainname (set in
/etc/defaultdomain). In which case, it strips the first component, eg:

hotline.uk.sun.com -> uk.sun.com

On Solaris 7, the script, /usr/lib/mail/sh/check-hostname is provided to check
and advise on the configuration of the fully qualified hostname. See web
site listed below for obtaining a version for 2.5.1/2.6.

NOTE:
Sendmail will perform the above before processing the sendmail.cf file,
so setting $m does not avoid the message/delay.

For further details, check:


sun-specific


================================
To check sendmail for errors, the simplest way is to run the following:
% /usr/lib/sendmail -d0.1 -bt < /dev/null

It will then show something like the following ( Version, how it was compiled, system ID (where your problem lies), and any warnings about directories (which you should change):

Version 8.9.3
Compiled with: MAP_REGEX LOG MATCHGECOS MIME7TO8 MIME8TO7 NAMED_BIND
NDBM NETINET NETUNIX NEWDB NIS NISPLUS QUEUE SCANF SMTP USERDB
XDEBUG

============ SYSTEM IDENTITY (after readcf) ============
(short domain name) $w = oven
(canonical domain name) $j = oven.prv.mycom.com
(subdomain name) $m = prv.mycom.com
(node name) $k = oven
========================================================

WARNING: Group writable directory /var
ADDRESS TEST MODE (ruleset 3 NOT automatically invoked)
Enter <ruleset> <address>

uname -a gives me the below

>> SunOS 5.7 Generic_106541-18 sun4u sparc SUNW,Ultra-Enterprise

from your reply, i gathered two things which will help to solve the issues

1) get the patch from sun
2) edit the /etc/hosts and /etc/nsswitch.conf files

The patch mentioned is for 2.5.1 and 2.6. You don't need it for 2.7.

Yes, enter the fully qualified name in /etc/hosts and check /etc/nsswitch.conf for correct order of files, dns, nis, and/or nis+

my /etc/hosts shows the ip addresss and the hostname.
fully qualified hostname means <<wwww.somedomain.com>>
the entries in my /etc/hosts only displays the name, example i

more /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 localhost
125.12.32.12 abc

i can do telnet abc and the login prompt will be shown to me.In this case, abc is not fully qualified? it should be something like www.abc.com?


/etc/nsswitch.conf didnt shows any dns, nis, and/or nis+ at all.

waiting for your advise.
thanks

If you aren't using dns then sendmail will have a problem (unless you check out the FAQ on Sendmail and follow the directions for setting it up correctly.

Normally you don't need the fully qualified host name (unless dealing with sendmail).

Your /etc/hosts could be changed to

127.0.0.1 localhost
125.12.32.12 abc abc.yourdomain.xxx

Where yourdomain.xxx is changed to whatever domain you are in.

If your domain is junkmailer.net then abc.junkmailer.net - if spamkiller.com then abc.spamkiller.com (these are examples only).

Post the info from /usr/lib/sendmail -d0.1 -bt < /dev/null (just change the domain info if you don't want your domain to show in these posts).

/usr/lib/sendmail -d0.1 -bt < /dev/null

i issued the number 0 not the o as in the alphabet, is it the correct one?


Compiled with: MAP_REGEX LOG MATCHGECOS MIME7TO8 MIME8TO7 NAMED_BIND
NDBM NETINET NETUNIX NEWDB NIS NISPLUS QUEUE SCANF SMTP USERDB
XDEBUG

============ SYSTEM IDENTITY (after readcf) ============
(short domain name) $w = nameofdomain
(canonical domain name) $j = nameofdomain (same as above)
(subdomain name) $m = <null>
(node name) $k = nameofdomain (same as the short, canonical)
========================================================

WARNING: local host name (nameofdomain) is not qualified; fix $j in config file
ADDRESS TEST MODE (ruleset 3 NOT automatically invoked)
Enter <ruleset> <address>
> [nameofdomain:/usr/lib]# Oct 25 07:52:47 nameofdomain sendmail[12341]: unable to qualify my own domain name (nameofdomain) -
- using short name

and also, after the command /usr/lib/sendmail -d0.1 -bt < /dev/null , the shell did not terminate elegantly but only with a

>

so i hit ctrl-c

what is wrong?
and < /dev/null is to redirect the output to an empty file?