Configuring and Managing MPE/iX Internet Services (August 2002)

Chapter 10
Sendmail for MPE/iX
DNS Issues
188
DNS Issues
The number one cause of Sendmail installation problems is due to improper system naming and/or a lack of
DNS entries describing your HP e3000. Please verify the following before you attempt to run Sendmail for the
first time:
• /bin/uname –n should report your HP e3000 hostname as a single token, i.e., “JAZZ” instead of
"JAZZ.EXTERNAL.HP.COM". If you do not see a single token hostname, you must configure a proper
hostname by using :NMMGR.
• /SYS/NET/RESLVCNF must contain a single “domain” statement that defines the domain part of your HP
e3000’s fully qualified hostname. For example, /bin/uname –n should display “JAZZ” and
/SYS/NET/RESLVCNF should contain a “domain external.hp.com” statement.
• /SYS/NET/RESLVCNF must contain one or more “nameserver” statements which specify the DNS server IP
addresses that your HP e3000 will be querying to resolve host names. It is not necessary to run a DNS
server such as BIND on your HP e3000 itself.
• Your HP e3000 must be defined within the DNS nameserver databases as having a valid “A” record that
maps the HP e3000’s hostname to an IP address.
• Your HP e3000 must be defined within the DNS nameserver databases as having a valid “PTR” record
that maps the HP e3000’s IP address to a hostname.
Sendmail for MPE/iX is distributed with a convenient script that you can run to check all of the above DNS
configuration issues and more:
1. :HELLO SERVER.SENDMAIL
2. :XEQ SH.HPBIN.SYS -L
3. shell/iX> /SENDMAIL/CURRENT/bin/dnscheck
The dnscheck script will instruct you how to fix any problems that it detects. After making each fix, keep
rerunning the script until no more problems are found.