Managing Internet Mail: Setting Up and Trouble-Shooting Sendmail and DNS


Our comprehensive five-day class covers the configuration, operation and trouble-shooting of sendmail and the BIND named DNS server. It is designed for UNIX system administrators who need to configure, manage and troubleshoot sendmail and named for a network of SMTP mail hosts which exchange mail with each other, with other internal mail systems such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, and with the larger Internet mail network.

Sendmail and Internet Mail

Sendmail is the workhorse MTA of the Internet routing billions of mail messages every day. Although much maligned and misunderstood and absolutely critical to the delivery of email it is very successful because simply runs and runs with little over sight. Sendmail is a complex and powerful program and has a reputation for being mysterious and impossible to understand with its inscrutable sendmail.cf file. This class pierces this myth by presenting how sendmail works in a clear straight forward way. Sendmail’s standard features including mail routing, address rewriting and anti-spam features and how sendmail works is explained. How to configure sendmail for security, maximum performance and robustness is covered in depth. In class demonstrations are used to show how to configure and verify these various features. They are also used to demonstrate common problems and how to diagnose and troubleshoot them.

Sendmail topics covered include:

  • The operation of sendmail
  • New features of sendmail 8.14
  • Limiting spam using sendmail’s anti-spam features
  • Performance tuning and anti-spam features
  • Configuring and tuning SMTP delivery for optimum performance
  • Configuring and securing a sendmail firewall relay
  • Mail routing, delivery and address rewriting features
  • Managing sendmail’s queue directory
  • Using split queues and queue groups to increase performance
  • Queue performance tuning and management including using the new queue groups features
  • Using sendmail's MILTER interface to add functionality such as anti-spam and anti-virus scanning
  • Setting up multiple virtual domains on a single sendmail server
  • Using LDAP to verify recipient addresses, route mail
  • Integrating LDAP into sendmail for centralized administration of aliases, databases, and routing of mail
  • Using the m4 compiler to generate sendmail.cf files
  • Converting an existing sendmail.cf file into an m4 template file
  • Verifying the correct configuration and operation of a sendmail server
  • Trouble shooting and debugging common sendmail problems
  • Using sendmail’s debugging flags to troubleshoot problems
  • Understanding sendmail’s rulesets and address rewriting rules in order to:
       Use sendmail's address test mode to troubleshoot addressing problems
       Write custom rules to solve addressing and routing problems
       Write custom rules to enhance sendmail's anti-spam features
  • Configuring and using SMTPAUTH to control relaying
  • through a sendmail server
  • Configuring and using STARTTLS to protect mail from prying eyes

Named and DNS

DNS is the glue that makes the Internet work by providing a universally accessible, globally distributed naming service to to translate hostnames into IP addresses and provide mail routing information for domains. Named is the popular name server on the Internet. This class covers basic named operation including configuring the named server, populating DSN zone files with host and domain information and replicating the DNS data on remote named servers. Other features of named are covered including limiting access to the DNS information, securing named, and tuning DNS performance. In class demonstrations show configuring named servers, verifying the DNS information and how to debug various DNS problems.

Named and DNS topics covered include:

  • New security, performance, access control and logging features
  • Setting up both master and slave named servers
  • Understanding and using the different types of DNS Resource Records
  • Creating and maintaining zone files for your domain
  • Using ACLs and transaction signatures to control and secure your DNS information
  • Trouble shooting and debugging common named and DNS problems
  • Architecture and design of a network of DNS servers for a complex network
  • Creating and registering your domains
  • How to delegate a DNS sub-domain within your network

Comprehensive Course Outline

After this five-day training seminar you will be able to:

  • Install and configure sendmail and sendmail.cf for your site
  • Understand how sendmail works with mail, SMTP, and other mail servers
  • Work with Internet service providers to set up an Internet mail domain
  • Understand the function and configuration of sendmail.cf files
  • Create custom sendmail rewriting rules to handle delivery to special addresses and mailers
  • Debug mail addressing and delivery problems
  • Debug sendmail.cf configuration files
  • Understand how mail delivery within the Internet and to sub-domains is assisted with DNS Mail eXchanger records
  • Set up the Domain Naming System on a firewall gateway to provide MX records for domains and internal sub-domains
  • Use and install sendmail 8.14
  • Create sendmail.cf files using the m4 sendmail compiler

Who Should Attend

Electronic mail administrators responsible for Internet and SMTP mail
Postmasters
Network managers
System administrators

Prerequisites

General knowledge of UNIX system and network administration
Experience with sending and receiving Internet electronic mail

Information To Take Home

Class manual including:
Presentation slides
Sendmail.cf files presented in class
Sendmail documentation

Five day "Managing Internet Mail" Course Fees: $2,995

Fees include the seminar, seminar notes, lunch, and refreshments.

For more information call 530-210-1101 or send email to info@harker.com

Schedule Of Class Dates and Locations

Sendmail Seminar Registration

Attendance is limited and payment must be received in advance.
To register, mail completed seminar registration with a check payable to: Harker Systems

Harker Systems focuses on training for TCP/IP and Internet managers and system administrators to help them understand how to set-up, debug, and manage electronic mail using sendmail and the TCP/IP protocol suite