sendmail masquerading question

[Ben Scott]

On 9/9/07, Bill McGonigle <bill at bfccomputing.com> wrote:
>    /etc/postfix/transport
> to have the lines:
>    root:
>    *   : smtp:saturn.syslang.net

  I take it that means, in essence, "no special rule for user 'root',
so do what is normally done (deliver locally); send everything else to
SATURN"?  Does that override everything else?

  What would be needed to configure Postfix on SATURN to rewrite
"From" addresses (masquerade, in Sendmail terms) for Steven's machines
to be <@syslang.net>?  Don't forget it has to rewrite mail from PLUTO
as well as locally-originated mail.

> I tend to run sendmail with simple configs and postfix for complex
> stuff, mostly because I don't ever want to take the bat book off the
> shelf again. ;)

  I regard sendmail.cf as I do object code: Opaque, intended for
machine and not human consumption, and best generated by other
programs.  I understand there are those who actually manipulate
sendmail.cf directly.  There are also those who can write real
programs in assembly directly.  I am not one of either group.

  sendmail.mc is pretty reasonable, and well-documented.  The hardest
part is usually mapping one's abstract needs and wants into
configuration directives.  That's a universal problem, although I
suspect Sendmail's terminology makes this harder than it could be.  I
would guess Postfix, lacking Sendmail's 30 or so years of historical
baggage, does this better.

  I haven't been able to understand Postfix without RTFM.  If I could,
I'd be using Postfix today.  But I've already RTFM for Sendmail and
haven't RTFM for Postfix, so I'm still using Sendmail.  It's easier
for me (in the short term) to expend minimal effort maintaining my
Sendmail knowledge than it is learn an entirely new software system
(which would likely yield better long-term rewards).  I find this is a
common scenario in the IT world.

-- Ben