Re: Running fetchmail as daemon - mail goes to postmaster

["Keith G. Murphy" <keithmur@mindspring.com>]

Phillip Deackes wrote:
> 
> I set up fetchmail to start as a daemon on boot, using a script Ross
> Boylan sent to the list recently - it specifies /root/.fetchmailrc
> 
> I have put the correct .fetchmailrc into /root, but when I now look at
> /var/log/exim/mainlog I see this:
> 
> 2001-01-11 00:16:54 14GVQE-00007w-00 <=
> bounce-debian-user=gsmh=gmx.net@lists.debian.org H=scgf (localhost)
> [127.0.0.1] P=esmtp S=4036 id=2dGclD.A.kz.DpPX6@murphy
> 2001-01-11 00:16:54 14GVQE-00007w-00 => gsmh <postmaster@localhost>
> D=localuser T=local_delivery
> 
> Although I do get the mail (because I have set postmaster to point to
> myself as a user (gsmh) rather than root in /etc/aliases?) I don't think
> it is right to send mail to postmaster@localhost. 

Don't know what you have in your .fetchmailrc (you really should have
posted it), but have you looked at using the 'to' (or 'is <username>
here') clause?  That's what tells it what the local recipient username
is.  man fetchmail.  Seems like it should already know that, but it's
worth a shot.

The default local username it uses is supposed to be the one you log
into the POP server with, I believe.  Does that user exist on your
system?

When I ran fetchmail
> myself and used a .fetchmailrc in my home directory I saw this:
> 
> 2001-01-10 07:39:41 14GFrB-0000yX-00 <=
> bounce-debian-user=gsmh=gmx.net@lists.debian.org H=scgf (localhost)
> [127.0.0.1] P=esmtp S=3106 id=fbtLC.A.CWE.f2_W6@murphy
> 2001-01-10 07:39:41 14GFrB-0000yX-00 => gsmh <gsmh@localhost> D=localuser
> T=local_delivery
> 
> That looks much better.

I would *guess* that in non-daemon mode it defaults to a local user of
whatever you're running it under.
> 
> I am using exim to distribute mail recieved by fetchmail. Should I move
> .forward from /home/gsmh to /root as well?

I'd try the 'to' clause in /root/.fetchmailrc, as a more direct
solution.

By the way, you're supposed to be able to run fetchmail as a daemon
under your own username.  That might make it magically work as well. 
:-)