Ubuntu Server - sSMTP / Webmin error.

[mycarsavw]

Ubuntu Server 10.04 LTS & Webmin 1.570

My aim is to have various Webmin modules send me status emails via sSMTP.

Using Webmin logged in as me, /var/log/mail.log shows the following repeated every 10 minutes.

<time> <servername> sSMTP[30003]: 551 Sender address is not valid for your login. Check your email program settings.

However, using Putty (same user) and typing

cat - | /usr/sbin/ssmtp -v <address@domain.tld>
some text here
ctrl+D

results in an email being sent from (and received by) <address@domain.tld>

Back to Webmin, /var/log/mail.log now shows

<time> <servername> sSMTP[3431]: Sent mail for <address@domain.tld> (221 Service closing transmission channel) uid=0 username=me outbytes=359

10 minutes later, the initial error reappears.

I think it's probably staring me in the face and I'm just not spotting it but I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

Any ideas?

[ikonia]

first thing to point out....

you know all the scare stories about webmins security issues and maintaience ?


second thing to point out, Ubuntu lays out a lot of it's config files and directory locations different than most distros (it doesn't even really try to fit into the FHS layout) so tools like webmin are never going to be a good option as to work with the modified ubuntu layout, they will require manual editing...which then makes more problems and security issues (see my first point).


in relation to your webmin issue, you'll normally find the webmin being a web based tool is not running as "you" or your username (the same user you do the putty test as).

You'll find it's actually running as the user that owns/runs the web server process (normally apache2) so even though you're logged into webmin as "bob" you'll find that webmin is sending emails from the system account www-data, or nobody, or apache2 or whatever the user running your web server process is. so the test you post above will most likley be actually invalid as it's two different users.

hopefully that will get you moving on the issue, but also give you food for thought as to if you should be using webmin on your machine and if you're capable of running it safley with webmin.

[peterb]

I'm not dsure I'd bother with sSMTP. Probably better to bite the bullet and set up Postfix (my preferred mail server ) to send out mail alerts. I use logwatch to send me a log synopsis every 24 hours, which is enough for me, but you could configure it to send more often.

I know that isn't answering the question, and is offering a solution to a problem you don't have, but might be a workaround.

It seems that the support maintenance of sSMTP is a bit uncertain too.

[mycarsavw]

first thing to point out....

you know all the scare stories about webmins security issues and maintaience ?


second thing to point out, Ubuntu lays out a lot of it's config files and directory locations different than most distros (it doesn't even really try to fit into the FHS layout) so tools like webmin are never going to be a good option as to work with the modified ubuntu layout, they will require manual editing...which then makes more problems and security issues (see my first point).


in relation to your webmin issue, you'll normally find the webmin being a web based tool is not running as "you" or your username (the same user you do the putty test as).

You'll find it's actually running as the user that owns/runs the web server process (normally apache2) so even though you're logged into webmin as "bob" you'll find that webmin is sending emails from the system account www-data, or nobody, or apache2 or whatever the user running your web server process is. so the test you post above will most likley be actually invalid as it's two different users.

hopefully that will get you moving on the issue, but also give you food for thought as to if you should be using webmin on your machine and if you're capable of running it safley with webmin.

From the top!

Fully aware of the security issues on a server running Webmin with full internet access.

Webmin was dropped from the official packages lists some years ago but it's changed, a lot, since. I use a 20 digit random character password, https etc. The server itself sits behind a Smoothwall so the permissions are limited. It's an internal use server with access restricted solely to updates and sending email.

When you say "the test will most likely be actually invalid", I'm not doubting what you're saying but I am receiving the emails. As far as I can see, it works exactly as it should via the terminal.

I did however completely overlook the whole pseudo-webgui-user thing so I'll have to look into that a bit more.

Thanks, that's given me somewhere to start when my head isn't spinning

(Edit: I should also add that I'm using Webmin to check for updates and keep an eye on things with a tidy GUI - I like pictures and graphs. Actioning of the updates is done via Putty after reading a lot of horror stories on how Webmin second guessing things)

I'm not dsure I'd bother with sSMTP. Probably better to bite the bullet and set up Postfix (my preferred mail server ) to send out mail alerts. I use logwatch to send me a log synopsis every 24 hours, which is enough for me, but you could configure it to send more often.

I know that isn't answering the question, and is offering a solution to a problem you don't have, but might be a workaround.

It seems that the support maintenance of sSMTP is a bit uncertain too.

I knew someone would say that!

My goal was to keep the install to a bare minimum - mainly for the potential security issues ikonia mentions above - but before I posted (and just after my head exploded) I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably have to bite the Postfix/Sendmail bullet.

The other option is to switch to msmtp and give that a shot, but I have a feeling I'd still be in the same boat as above.

[peterb]

It is frustrating not finding a solution though - but sometimes there isn't, or the effort to do it outweighs the advantage.

SASL stopped working after a recent Fedora update. I spent hours going through the configuration, before finding a workartound. In the end it turned out that a library hadn't been updated with the release - SASL just stopped working. Onvce the fix was published, all worked as before.

Henmce my comment about the maintenance of sSMTP - it could be broken in that distro, but you might wait a long time before it is fixed.

[mycarsavw]

Update time and another cry for assistance.

I recently moved everything to a new server so I now have a fresh installation of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

The server's main purpose is to run a few internal calendar/diaries using WebCalendar. This application also has the ability to send reminders and notifications - something I'd not set up as it wasn't needed. Sadly, thanks to another large helping of bureaucracy <censored> it's now needed.

I think I've got two options;

I can either configure my NAS (DS408) to run MailStation or I can add Postfix to the server.

All I want to do is have this server send emails, I don't need (or want) it to receive email.

I have a domain, I have existing email accounts and I can setup more should the need arise.

I'm tempted to go down the ISPConfig3 route to kill all birds with one stone, but I have a feeling I could be overthinking this so instead of battling on, I'll ask for advice, please

[peterb]

+1 for postfix. Many distros come with sendmail installed by default, but postfix is pretty much a direct and (imho) better replacement. Configuration is much simpler. The msn pages and postfix website are a mine if useful information, and/or there is a postfix guide published by O'Reilly.

I have played with funambol as a calendar sync tool with mixed results. I haven't used the one you are playing with.

[mycarsavw]

I too had a play with funambol but it made me want to remove my fingers with a bolt cutter - horrible horrible horrible program (imho!).

With one vote, posfix here I come!

[peterb]

http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596002121.do

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Postfix-Defi.../dp/0596002122

Don't be put off by the 2003 publication date, still an excellent book. (bit pricey, but available in ebook/kindle format for a bit less)

And if you haven't found this site

http://www.postfix.org/

go there, now!

And this looks interesting, although I haven't used it myself

http://postfixadmin.sourceforge.net/