Testing my mailsystem
So, you have set up your linux mail system and want to check if it works. Here are some steps to take so you can be sure:
Mailserver
Since Linux (like Unix) is a system that has been designed to be part of a network, many things, including mail, are handled by servers. With this I mean server processes, not machines. So even if you set up your one and only home-computer to send out e-mail, you have configured a server - if you realize it or not.
Once this is all set you probably want to know if the configuration really works the way you want it to.
How to test
You want to test for two things: If mail you write goes out and if you can receive mail that is send to you. One approach might be to post an article to a mailing-list you have subscribed. If the mail comes back to you, everything is alright. While this is easy on you, it is not ideal for the list. So here is a better way:
- Create an account with a freemailer. Lycos, Google, MSN, Web.de, wanadoo.fr, whatever will do.
- Send a message from your PC to that account. If you receive it at the freemailer’s, sending mail is ok.
- Reply to that message. So you send a message from the freemailer’s system (which does work!) to your account. If you receive that reply, receiving mail is working too.
With these few simple steps, you can assure that your configuration is correct. You can see how others receive your mail, including the headers, your real name and everything you might have set up in your mailer.
And what if I want to test if my mail gets to a specific list?
Usually, if sending and receiving works, the your post should go through. If you have reasonable doubt, you might contact the list-admin or if you decide to send a test-message, you should disguise it as good as you can. Dig out that old question you always wanted to ask. If you find out the answer before you post (very likely, since you will do research before you send the question, right? :) then post the answer to your old problem. It might help others. The essence is: Post something of value to the list, not just “Test. 1 - 2 - 3. My mike sounds nice!”
But what if a mailing-list has become so quiet that I think it is broken?
Check out the list’s archives. Properly configured lists should add information which lead you there in each and every mail’s footer. The LBo-QnA list's archives.
If you see that there really aremessages that you did not get then check your spamfolder. And if you are still missing messages, contact the list-owner with a description of the problem.
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Welcome to LinuxBasics.org - The online community that helps people to get Linux installed and running.
During this tour, we will guide you through our website, which has many facets which wait to be explored
The biggest project we are running is our Linux course, based on the LBook.
The book is stored in wiki-format, which enables us to update and correct it as we go.
Discussion for the course is on our Forum
Our Forum is used for discussion of Linux and for questions and answers.
Search the mailing-list that was used prior to the Forum.
The questions and answers from the list are stored in the list's archives in order to help others with the same problems.
Every weekend, we meet to chat in IRC. These meetings are NOT mandatory, but are a nice chance to get to know each other better.
IRC is also a great tool to solve many problems, since it is very quick and easy to ask for more details if you need them.
The tutorials are one of the oldest sections on the LBo-website.
Here you find explanations on how to do specific tasks in Linux. Many of the tutorials were created after a certain problem
has been discussed (and usually solved :) on the mailing-list.
The tutorials are categorized in
In the links section, you find outbound links to other valuable resources.
One of our later additions to the site. We maintain a mirror of the Linux Documentation Project. This is our contribution to the "home of the HOWTOs"
Another later addition is the LBlog which focuses on how to do stuff on the Linux Desktop. It begins with the basics on installing Ubuntu.
Using the integrated site-search, you can search the tutorials, the LBook and all other wiki-pages
Simply type the search term into the box in the upper-right corner of our webpages
As a community, we depend on your feedback and collaboration. So, if you have something to share with others, please contact us. If you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to see covered here, please add it on the Wishlist.
There are many ways to contribute: You can answer questions on the Forum, you can write a complete tutorial or just a step-by-step documentation on how you completed a specific task using linux. Ask questions if the information on this site is not clear, tell us if we got something wrong, spell-check our writings, whatever.
We are looking forward to meeting you at LinuxBasics.org
Anita, Jisao, Sam and Stefan