3.14 How can I use Postfix from my dial-up machine at home?

There is a very good discussion about this in section 9.1.1 (The Stand Alone Config) of the Red Hat Postfix HOWTO. The key components required to setting this up are as follows:

   # your ISP's SMTP server name or IP address goes here
   relayhost = smtprelay.someprovider.com
   #
   # this line disables spontaneous PPP connections
   defer_transports = smtp
   #
   # this line disables dns lookups for mail. As you are using a relay you really don't 
   need DNS. If you use this you should use an ip address for $relayhost.

   disable_dns_lookups = yes
   

Put the following command into your PPP or SLIP dialup scripts:

/usr/sbin/sendmail -q (whenever the Internet link is up)