HOWTO Setup Postfix
Install Postfix
# emerge postfix -va
Configuration
edit /etc/postfix/main.cf
hostname ~ # emacs -nw /etc/postfix/main.cf
myhostname = zero.iat.sfu.ca naturally, use your server's real name :-) mydomain = iat.sfu.ca
add to /etc/postfix/main.cf (somewhere around line 98 / SENDING MAIL)
# rewrites addresses sender_canonical_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/sender_canonical
We don't receive mail, so comment this line out, as shown, in /etc/postfix/main.cf (it usually is commented out, but please verify; around Line 159)
#mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, localhost
Check that these are uncommented, in /etc/postfix/main.cf. Gentoo is shown; other distributions omit the /mail path (FC6 is one).
alias_maps = hash:/etc/mail/aliases alias_database = hash:/etc/mail/aliases
You can quickly and succinctly get an overview of the non-default postfix settings:
postconf -n
Create the file /etc/postfix/sender_canonical. This ensures that any replies or whatever will go to a real (or nearly :-) ) human
hostname ~ # emacs -nw /etc/postfix/sender_canonical
root gordonp+server_name@sfu.ca
Turn this plain-text file into a postfix db format with this command:
hostname ~ # postmap /etc/postfix/sender_canonical
Create the /etc/mail/aliases.db file:
hostname ~ # postalias /etc/mail/aliases
Create the .forward file in root's home-dir. This will cause root-directed mail (like logwatch and cron output) to go to our admin mailing-list:
hostname ~ # emacs -nw ~/.forward admin@siat.sfu.ca