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Re: sending through a remote MTA with ssh



On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 10:00:26AM +0100, Louis-David Mitterrand wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 08:45:59AM +0000, Chris Green wrote:
> > On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 12:24:18AM +0100, Stanislaw Halik wrote:
> > > Louis-David Mitterrand <vindex+lists-mutt-users@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > To submit mail directly through a remote MTA one could use the 
> > > > following 
> > > > (with a passwordless ssh access to the server):
> > > 
> > > > set sendmail="ssh my.remote-mta.com '/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oi'"
> > > 
> > > > Is there any catch in doing this?
> > > 
> > > if the password prompt is shown, you'll have to manually kill/^C the ssh
> > > client.
> > 
> > I use this method to send mail out of mutt.  There are a couple of
> > issues:-
> > 
> >     It only works 'transparently' if you have set up passwordless
> >     login to the remote system in question.  This may or may not be
> >     practical.
> 
> I use the pam_ssh module to load my key into the ssh-agent from the xdm 
> (idem gdm/kdm) prompt, thus avoiding a second password entry (only works 
> if your unix password is the same as your ssh key passphrase).
> 
I use it from a work computer which is secure enough for me to simply
set up secure keys and allow passwordless login without using
ssh_agent.  Since I stay logged on to my work computer all day using
ssh_agent would add nothing in the way of security.


> >     Unless you set sendmail_wait mutt will wait for the remote
> >     sendmail to complete before returning control to you.  This can
> >     take a while.  If you *do* set sendmail_wait then you won't know
> >     if the remote sendmail has failed.
> 
> About sendmail_wait the latest manual states:
> 
>    Note that if you specify a value other than 0, the output of the child
>    process will be put in a temporary file. If there is some error, you will
>    be informed as to where to find the output.
> 
> So if there is a problem you will be informed but not just now :)
> 
How will you be informeed?  The remote system can't send you an
E-Mail.  I went through this a while ago (see the mutt archives) and
this notification of failure is not of any real use.  You'd have to go
and check on the remote system I believe.

-- 
Chris Green (chris@xxxxxxxxxxx)

    "Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence."