[SOLVED]Install a Relay Mail Host on pfSense (postfix)

[rkelleyrtp]

@jimp:

You do not need a full blown MTA installed to send out e-mail. That is just dangerous and unnecessary.

Check out the code in 2.0 for sending e-mail notifications, it's a relatively small set of PHP code.

Hey Jim,

I searched high and low for a stripped-down MTA for pfSense 1.2.3-RELEASE and came up empty handed.  A few threads on the forum had some ideas but no one ever came up with a good solution (only suggestions).  This is why I installed Postfix.  Do you have a good suggestion for 1.2.3?

[jimp]

My suggestion is that you don't use an MTA on pfSense at all under any circumstances :-)

If you want e-mail notifications, there are some PHP modules out there which can just send mail only, not receive.

[rkelleyrtp]

@jimp:

My suggestion is that you don't use an MTA on pfSense at all under any circumstances :-)

If you want e-mail notifications, there are some PHP modules out there which can just send mail only, not receive.

Cool, can you point me to such PHP modules I can install in 1.2.3-RELEASE?  I would be more than happy to install them as I don't need the potential security risks of a full-blown MTA on my firewall.  Essentially, I just need to be able to send email from the monit application installed on my firewall(s) to receive alerts, etc.

[jimp]

I don't know if there is a full-blown sendmail work-alike done in PHP, but someone could use the smtp.inc file from pfSense 2.0 and write a small front-end to it that takes the message and sends it where it needs to go:

http://redmine.pfsense.org/repositories/entry/pfsense/etc/inc/smtp.inc

The whole notification system had a lot of work done in 2.0

You see how the SMTP settings are done here:

http://redmine.pfsense.org/repositories/entry/pfsense/usr/local/www/system_advanced_notifications.php

Not sure how much of that would work on 1.2.3 since it only has PHP 4.x and pfSense 2.0 is on PHP 5.x

You may just have to google around for a PHP sendmail drop-in or work-alike and see what turns up.

[Supermule]

Sorry for my arrogant attitude…........:(

[dpcma]

• What does, "ps aux" give you?

ps aux does not show anything relaled to postfix…

• How are you trying to start postfix?

I made the following from the beginning

1.- pkg_add -r postfix.tbz from (ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-7-stable/Latest/postfix.tbz)
2.- edited /usr/local/etc/rc.d/postfix, just to change :${postfix_enable="YES"}
3.- cp /usr/local/etc/rc.d/postfix /usr/local/etc/rc.d/postfix.sh
4.- Added postfix_enable="YES" into /boot/loader.conf
5.- Reboot

• What does your postfix main.cf file have?

I´ve got 2, but i didn´t changed anything yet in those files

/usr/local/etc/postfix/main.cf
/usr/local/etc/libexec/postfix/main.cf

• How are you trying to connect using telnet?  From the local machine or from a machine on your LAN?

From both (obviously using localhost from pfsense, and LAN interface ip from LAN)

Thanks a lot!!!

[dpcma]

If i try to stop / start postfix, this is the output

#postfix stop

postfix/postfix-scrcipt: stopping the Postfix mail system
sed: pid/master.pid: No such file or directory
usage: kill [-s signal_name] pid ...
	kill -l [exit_status]
	kill -signal_name pid ...
	kill -signal_number pid ...

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate

/libexec/ld-elf.so.1: /usr/local/libexec/postfix/master: Undefined symbol "close from"
postfix/postfix-script: waiting for the Postfix mail system to terminate
postfix/postfix-script: warning: stopping the Postfix mail system with force
awk: can´t open file pid/master.pid
 source line number 1

# postfix start
postfix/postfix-script: fatal: the Postfix mail system is already running

#

[dpcma]

ok. News.

I installed a fresh postfix on pfSense Box for FreeBSD 7.2 (postfix-current-2.6.20090212,4.tbz)

PostFix is running now (at least 25 port is opened), and ps -aux shows 2 processes running for postfix (pickup and qmgr) but now I got the following message in system log:

postfix/smtpd: fatal open database /etc/aliases.db: No such file or directory

if I search for aliases i found

/etc/aliases    (which is a link to mail/aliases) (/etc/mail/ is empty)
/usr/local/etc/postfix/dist/aliases
/usr/local/etc/postfix/aliases

Thanks

[rkelleyrtp]

Great, you are almost there!

To get the /etc/aliases.db file created, edit the /etc/aliases file and make any necessary changes.  For me, I changed the "root:  you"  to "root:  rkelley@abcxyz.com" then ran /usr/local/bin/newaliases to build the /etc/aliases.db file.

Also, getting the /usr/local/postfix/main.cf file tuned properly is very important!  Here is what I have in mine:

undisclosed_recipients_header = To:rkelley@abcxyz.com
queue_directory = /var/spool/postfix
command_directory = /usr/local/sbin
daemon_directory = /usr/local/libexec/postfix
data_directory = /var/db/postfix
mail_owner = postfix
myorigin = <domain_name>unknown_local_recipient_reject_code = 550
mynetworks_style = host
relayhost = <pfsense_lan_ip>debug_peer_level = 2
debugger_command =
         PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin
         ddd $daemon_directory/$process_name $process_id & sleep 5
sendmail_path = /usr/local/sbin/sendmail
newaliases_path = /usr/local/bin/newaliases
mailq_path = /usr/local/bin/mailq
setgid_group = maildrop
html_directory = no
manpage_directory = /usr/local/man
sample_directory = /usr/local/etc/postfix
readme_directory = no</pfsense_lan_ip></domain_name> 

Make sure to put in the correct information for your relayhost, undisclosed_recipients_header, and myorigin.  Once done, simply restart postfix and send yourself an email.

Let me know how you make out…

[dpcma]

Ok. Good News again.

Now I´ve got prompt from the mail server

I made the following

cp /usr/local/etc/postfix/aliases /etc/aliases.db

newaliases

postfix reload

I will keep you informed

[dpcma]

Ok. Finished.

My pfSense box is able to relay mail to another relay host. After a bit tailoring of main.cf

mynetworks_style=subnet
relaydomains = xyz.com
relayhost = ip.add.re.ss of LAN

Apart of your suggestions relayhost, undisclosed_recipients_header, and myorigin

Thank you very much for you help

[rkelleyrtp]

No problem, glad to help.

Now that you have installed Postfix , please make sure to lock down your firewall as much as possible…

[dpcma]

Sure! hehe My pfsense cluster is now a Swiss Army Knife hehe

Thanks again!