sendmail init error: Can't assign requested address

[Chuck Swiger]

On May 14, 2007, at 2:25 PM, Ernest Sales wrote:
> Well, actually not so (sendmail_outbound_enable is supposed to be  
> set to
> YES, as per defaults, but init says otherwise -- and I don't know  
> what that
> means). But it starts without delays and can send/receive mail (even
> internet mail, wow!).

Take a look at /etc/defaults/rc.conf for all of the gory details.   
You probably meant sendmail_enable=YES, but:

# Settings for /etc/rc.sendmail and /etc/rc.d/sendmail:
sendmail_enable="NO"    # Run the sendmail inbound daemon (YES/NO).
sendmail_pidfile="/var/run/sendmail.pid"        # sendmail pid file
sendmail_procname="/usr/sbin/sendmail"          # sendmail process name
sendmail_flags="-L sm-mta -bd -q30m" # Flags to sendmail (as a server)
sendmail_submit_enable="YES"    # Start a localhost-only MTA for mail  
submission
sendmail_submit_flags="-L sm-mta -bd -q30m - 
ODaemonPortOptions=Addr=localhost"
                                 # Flags for localhost-only MTA
sendmail_outbound_enable="YES"  # Dequeue stuck mail (YES/NO).
sendmail_outbound_flags="-L sm-queue -q30m" # Flags to sendmail  
(outbound only)
sendmail_msp_queue_enable="YES" # Dequeue stuck clientmqueue mail  
(YES/NO).
sendmail_msp_queue_flags="-L sm-msp-queue -Ac -q30m"
                                 # Flags for sendmail_msp_queue daemon.

> I chose .localhost to qualify the hostname because the notion of  
> "public"
> domain name is where I get lost. Can I pick any word as TLD/SLD to  
> operate
> in a private LAN?

Yes, but using a local domain which conflicts with existing domains  
is strongly not recommended.  Consider what happens if a local config  
issue bounces email or worse to somebody else, or consider what  
happens if you chose ".net" or ".com" instead of ".localhost".

> Is there any standard, anything like the CIDR blocks reserved for  
> private networks?

The zeroconf/rendezvous stuff likes to use ".local" as the domain  
unless other info is available.

> Researchs led me to RFC 2606, alternative DNS
> roots, and the like, but I couldn't distill any practical advice.  
> Which will
> be the interactions if I choose e.g. .somedomain.com? Now if I send  
> a mail
> to the internet, it has a From field (user at hostname) unusable to  
> reply to;
> if this was user at hostname.somedomain.com it could fake some real mail
> address.

Yes, absolutely, or to bounce email back to the example domain.   
Network admins get cross when you pretend to be in a domain that you  
have no affiliation with and they have to get your ISP to clean up  
after you....  :-)

-- 
-Chuck