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Sendmail fails with error "hash map Alias0: missing map file /etc/mail/aliases.db: World writable directory"

Question & Answer


Question

Sendmail (mail -v ) and the newaliases command fail an error similar to the following: # mail -v toto@ibm.com Subject: TEST TEST . Cc: hash map "Alias0": missing map file /etc/mail/aliases.db: World writable directory dbm map "Alias0": missing map file /etc/mail/aliases: A file or directory in the path name does not exist. output... WARNING: cannot open alias database /etc/mail/aliases; reading text version output... queued # newaliases WARNING: World writable directory / WARNING: Group writable directory /var/spool WARNING: Group writable directory /var/spool/mqueue WARNING: World writable directory / hash map "Alias0": missing map file /etc/mail/aliases.db: World writable directory dbm map "Alias0": missing map file /etc/mail/aliases: A file or directory in the path name does not exist. WARNING: cannot open alias database /etc/mail/aliases Cannot create database for alias file /etc/mail/aliases: A system call received a parameter that is not valid.

Cause

This is a permissions problem on one of the system files or directories (most probably / or /etc)

Answer

Check and correct the following permissions on your system:
drwxr-xr-x     22 bin      bin         /var
drwxrwxr-x     13 bin      bin         /var/spool              
lrwxrwxrwx     1  bin      bin         /usr/spool -> /var/spool
drwxrwxr-x     2  bin      mail        /var/spool/mail          
drwxrwxr-x     2  bin      mail        /usr/spool/mail          
drwxrwx---     2  root     system      /var/spool/mqueue        
-rw-rw----     1 <user>    mail        /var/spool/mail/<user>  
drwxr-xr-x     50 bin      bin         /usr                    
-r-sr-s--x     3  root     system      /usr/sbin/sendmail      
-r-sr-s--x     3  root     system      /usr/sbin/mailq          
-r-sr-sr-x     1  root     mail        /usr/bin/bellmail        
-rwxr-xr-x     3  bin      mail        /usr/bin/mail            
-rwxr-xr-x     3  bin      mail        /usr/bin/mailx          
drwxr-xr-x     36 root     system      /etc                    
drwxr-xr-x     2  root     system      /etc/mail               
-rw-r--r--     1  root     security    /etc/passwd              
-rw-r--r--     1  root     system      /etc/mail/aliases        
-rw-------     1  root     system      $HOME/mbox              
-rw-r--r--     1  root     system      $HOME/dead.letter        
drwxrwxrwx     4  bin      bin         /var/tmp                
-rw-r--r--     1  bin      mail        /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc  
-rw-r--r--     1 <user>    <group>     $HOME/.mailrc            
drwxr-xr-x     4  bin      bin         /usr/bin                
drwxr-xr-x     33 root     system      /                       
drwxrwxrwx     79 bin      bin         /tmp                    
     OR                                                          
drwxrwxrwt     79 bin      bin         /tmp  

[{"Product":{"code":"SWG10","label":"AIX"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Component":"Network communications","Platform":[{"code":"PF002","label":"AIX"}],"Version":"5.1;5.2;5.3","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB08","label":"Cognitive Systems"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
17 June 2018

UID

isg3T1010357

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