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diff --git a/fetchmail-FAQ.html b/fetchmail-FAQ.html index 4f6b9d57..c075d349 100644 --- a/fetchmail-FAQ.html +++ b/fetchmail-FAQ.html @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ <table width="100%" cellpadding=0><tr> <td width="30%">Back to <a href="index.html">Fetchmail Home Page</a> <td width="30%" align=center>To <a href="/~esr/sitemap.html">Site Map</a> -<td width="30%" align=right>$Date: 1998/02/16 16:07:28 $ +<td width="30%" align=right>$Date: 1998/02/17 20:20:19 $ </table> <HR> <H1>Frequently Asked Questions About Fetchmail</H1> @@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ when I may have multiple login sessions going?</a><br> <a href="#R6">R6. Fetchmail dumps core when I use a .netrc file but works otherwise.</a><br> <a href="#R7">R7. Running fetchmail in daemon mode doesn't work.</a><br> <a href="#R8">R8. Fetchmail hangs when used with pppd.</a><br> -<a href="#R9">R9. Fetchmail fails when used with a dynamic PPP link.</a><br> <h1>Disappearing mail</h1> @@ -377,16 +376,29 @@ generally available on IMAP servers.<P> <hr> <h2><a name="G9">G9. Is any special configuration needed to use a dynamic IP address?</a></h2> -No. Fetchmail itself doesn't care whether the IP address you use is -static (fixed) or dynamic (varying, allocated at connection time by -your ISP from an address pool). In fact, fetchmail normally doesn't -use your address explicitly at all; it only cares that you have a -working gateway.<P> +Yes. In order to avoid giving indigestion to certain picky MTAs +(notably <a href="#T3">exim</a>), fetchmail always makes the RCPT TO +address it feeds the MTA a fully qualified one with a hostname part. +Normally it does this by appending @ and your client machine's +hostname.<P> -Sendmail, however, can get get confused by dynamic addresses in a way -that looks like a fetchmail problem; see <a href="#R9">R9</a><P>. +This, however, can create problems when fetchmail is running in daemon +mode and outlasts the dynamic IP address assignment your client +machine had when it started up.<P> + +Since the new IP address (looked up at RCPT TO interpretation time) +doesn't match the original, the most benign possible result is that +your MTA thinks it's seeing a relaying attempt and refuses. More +frequently, fetchmail will try to connect top a nonexistent host +address and time out. Worst case, you could up forwarding your mail +to the wrong machine!<P> -Only one fetchmail option interacts with your IP address at all, +Use the <code>smtpaddress</code> option to force the appended hostname +to one with a (fixed) IP address of 127.0.0.1 in your +<code>/etc/hosts</code>. (The name `localhost' will usually work; or +you can use the IP address itself).<P> + +Only one fetchmail option interacts directly with your IP address, `<code>interface</code>'. This option can be used to set the gateway device and restrict the IP address range fetchmail will use. Such a restriction is sometimes useful for security reasons, especially on @@ -1270,47 +1282,6 @@ fetchmail doesn't play well with it, but works with pppd if `demand' is turned off. We have no idea why this is.<p> <hr> -<h2><a name="R9">R9. Fetchmail fails when used with a dynamic PPP link.</a></h2> - -The diagnostic of this problem is that your MTA, on the receiving end -of an SMTP forward from fetchmail, interprets the RCPT TO delivery -address as arequest to relay. If relaying is disabled, sendmail will -refuse with the complaint <code>551 ... we do not relay</code>. If -relaying is allowed, your MTA may send a "host misconfiguration" -error notification to postmaster, and bounce the message (ouch).<P> - -In order to avoid giving indigestion to certain picky MTAs (notably <a -href="#T3">exim</a>), fetchmail always makes the RCPT TO address it -feeds the MTA a fully qualified one with a hostname part. Normally it -does this by appending @ and your client machine's hostname.<P> - -This, however, can create problems when your MTA is running in daemon -mode and outlasts the dynamic IP address assignment your client -machine had when the MTA started up. Since the new IP address (looked -up at RCPT TO interpretation time) doesn't match the original, your -MTA thinks it's seeing a relaying attempt and refuses.<P> - -The simplest way to fix this is to use the <code>smtpaddress</code> -option to force the appended hostname to one with a (fixed) IP address -of 127.0.0.1 in your <code>/etc/hosts</code>. (The name `localhost' -will usually work).<P> - -If your MTA is sendmail, another possible fix is to restart each time -you connect to your ISP:<P> - -<pre> - kill -HUP `head -1 /var/run/sendmail.pid` -</pre> - -If neither of these fixes the problem, you might have to put your -dynamic IP address in whatever your sendmail is using for a cw file -(/etc/sendmail.cw). Ryan Murray reports "my ip-up script for PPP puts -my fully qualified domain name at the bottom of /etc/hosts (building -from a template), sends the name off to sendmail.cw, restarts -sendmail, and then starts fetchmail." (This script is available in -the contrib directory of the fetchmail source distribution.)<P> - -<hr> <h2><a name="D1">D1. I think I've set up fetchmail correctly, but I'm not getting any mail.</a></h2> Maybe you have a .forward or alias set up that you've forgotten about. You @@ -1806,7 +1777,7 @@ Re-ordering messages is a user-agent function, anyway.<P> <table width="100%" cellpadding=0><tr> <td width="30%">Back to <a href="index.html">Fetchmail Home Page</a> <td width="30%" align=center>To <a href="/~esr/sitemap.html">Site Map</a> -<td width="30%" align=right>$Date: 1998/02/16 16:07:28 $ +<td width="30%" align=right>$Date: 1998/02/17 20:20:19 $ </table> <P><ADDRESS>Eric S. Raymond <A HREF="mailto:esr@thyrsus.com"><esr@snark.thyrsus.com></A></ADDRESS> |