Re: [x]inetd.conf??

[Bob McClure Jr <robertmcclure earthlink net>]

On Sat, Feb 07, 2004 at 07:23:34PM -0500, Marty Landman wrote:
> I've installed fetchmail and created a .fetchmailrc file with some partial 
> success e.g.
> 
> fetchmail: 6.2.0 querying mail.ulster.net (protocol POP3) at Sat 07 Feb 
> 2004 07:17:07 PM EST: poll started
> [snip]
> fetchmail: POP3< +OK 7424 octets
> reading message marty mail ulster net:1 of 1 (7424 octets)
> fetchmail: SMTP connect to localhost failed
> fetchmail: POP3> QUIT
> fetchmail: POP3< 
> ======================================================================
> fetchmail: SMTP transaction error while fetching from mail.ulster.net
> fetchmail: 6.2.0 querying mail.ulster.net (protocol POP3) at Sat 07 Feb 
> 2004 07:17:13 PM EST: poll completed
> fetchmail: Query status=10 (SMTP)
> fetchmail: normal termination, status 10

Not sure what the cause of that is.

> Researching this it appears that first I need to have something listening 
> on port 25 e.g.

You've been misinformed.  Pop3 is conducted on port 110, and you
initiate it, and the distant end responds.

Port 25 is for SMTP, AKA Sendmail or Postfix or Qmail or ... - that's
for outgoing mail.  Out of the box, you are configured to use sendmail
which will listen only on the localhost address (and that's all you
need).

> $ telnet localhost 25
> Trying 127.0.0.1...
> telnet: connect to address 127.0.0.1: Connection refused
> 
> I gather this should be done through the /etc/[x]inetd.conf file which I 
> don't have running RH9 and so I'm sort of lost again.

Not true, twice.  SMTP is normally serviced by a daemon, namely
sendmail, not xinetd, the "super server".  Check to see if sendmail is
running:

  service sendmail status

If not running, try

  service sendmail start

If it comes up happily, then do this to make it come up on the next
(and every boot):

  chkconfig sendmail on

As for xinetd, it is installed and surely running, and its various
services are controlled by config files in /etc/xinetd.d/.  For the
nonce, you don't need to do anything with them.

> But hey, at least my 
> ISP's pop server said helo. :)

It may be that your firewall is on max.  Go to The Fine Manual

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/custom-guide/

and read particularly Chapters 13 and 23.

> Marty Landman   Face 2 Interface Inc 845-679-9387
> This Month's New Quiz --- Past Superbowl Winners
> Make a Website: http://face2interface.com/Home/Demo.shtml

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
robertmcclure earthlink net  http://www.bobcatos.com
We're too blessed to be depressed.