[cobalt-users] RE: [RaQ4] SMTP not responding

[Charlie Summers <charlie@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 9:47 AM -0400 7/19/03, Harry Mueller is rumored to have typed:

> >/etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail start
>
>
> [admin admin]# /etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail start
> Setting up Mail Service:
> [admin admin]#

   That's not uncommon; sendmail can't "start" unless all invocations are
stopped. Try:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail stop

   Then...

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail status

   You'll likely see some sendmail processes running. If necessary (don't
over-react, wait a minute or two), kill the processes (requires root, and you
may need to kill with signal 9) until status tells you sendmail is stopped
(you might also try stop again). Then:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail start

   ...and you should see:

[admin admin]# /etc/rc.d/init.d/sendmail start
Setting up Mail Service: sendmail
[admin admin]#

   *Poof* sendmail is running and (hopefully) accepting SMTP connections
again. (Any time you see what you describe, that blank "Setting up Mail
Service" line, it means you have existant sendmail processes currently
running. You don't need ps to tell you that...you don't even need status.
When you get that blank start line, you DO have at least one sendmail process
running.)

   BTW, if you are receiving mail from outside sources and _only_ you cannot
mail into the box, Mr. Bechtel's observation is probably the correct one. If,
on the other hand, the box is not accepting connections from the outside, and
the Active Monitor has emailed you telling you the SMTP server is down, you
may have a zombied sendmail process (think of it as being "stuck") holding up
the restart. That's why I suggest you kill any sendmail process that seems
"stuck."

         Charlie