*BSD News Article 71871


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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: A Serious article for the FreeBSD support group
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 23:36:50 -0700
Organization: Me
Lines: 35
Message-ID: <31CE3782.45903AB7@lambert.org>
References: <4qcqts$t61@tzlink.j51.com> <31CB150C.4E191FC9@lambert.org> <4qkrlj$d4h@tzlink.j51.com>
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k wrote:
] >k wrote:
] >] Why isn't sendmail placed in the setup as a mandatory install
] >] requirement?
] 
] >Because attaching your machine to a network for sendmail to act
] >as your mail exchanger is not required.  You can install FreeBSD
] >on your machine in your garage and never connect it to a network.
] 
] >Sendmail is *not* a mandatory system component.
] 
] If this is ture, (which I agree is probably the case) why is freebsd
] originally configured to poll for mail so that when I come back to the
] machine the next morning. I get error messages accross the screen.
] Your reply is correct, but you are not answering the question I am
] asking. Furthermore, let's say that I did not intend to have my
] machine on a network, why is there no documetation about how to stop
] this procees from polling for the mail server each evening?

Answered in email because Kenny did not indicate he posted and
emailed his response.  Boiled down:

1)	sendmail is set up to polll because of security (also
	because of loading characteristics, per the sendmail
	man page)

2)	sendmail may be stopped by turning it off in /etc/sysconfig,
	as documented in /etc/sysconfig.


                                        Terry Lambert
                                        terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.