[Mailman-Users] mailman returns "user unknown"

[Richard Gillman]

I'm transferring an existing mailman installation from one Solaris 9 box 
to another. Both run sendmail; /etc/sendmail.cf on new is an edited 
version of sendmail.cf on old. I'm using the opportunity to upgrade from 
2.0.8 to 2.1.5. Python is 2.2 in both cases.

mailman-new is a virtual host on biwebs1. As a test, I'm using the 
"carshare" list.  In /etc/mail/aliases, I've got, for example,

biwebs1% grep carsh /etc/mail/aliases
## carshare mailing list
carshare:                "|/local/data/mailman/mail/mailman post carshare"
carshare-admin:          "|/local/data/mailman/mail/mailman mailowner 
carshare"
carshare-request:        "|/local/data/mailman/mail/mailman mailcmd 
carshare"
carshare-owner:          carshare-admin
biwebs1%
(on the old system, it is "|/local/data/mailman/mail/wrapper post carshare")
Database has been recreated by makemap hash aliases < aliases

If I

biwebs1 logs $ telnet mailman-new.nerc-liv.ac.uk 25
Trying 192.171.196.100...
Connected to biwebs1-2.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk ESMTP Sendmail 8.12.5+Sun/8.11.1; Tue, 1 Nov 
2005 12:45:16 GMT
helo nerc.ac.uk
250 biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk Hello biwebs1-2 [192.171.196.100], pleased to 
meet you
mail from: R.Gillman at nerc.ac.uk
250 2.1.0 R.Gillman at nerc.ac.uk... Sender ok
rcpt to: carshare at mailman-new.nerc-liv.ac.uk

(my comment...long delay)

550 5.1.1 carshare at mailman-new.nerc-liv.ac.uk... User unknown
rcpt to: carshare at biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk

(my comment...no long delay this time)

550 5.1.1 carshare at biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk... User unknown
quit

If I do the same telnet to port 25 on the old system, I do not get this 
error message.

Is there any way I can find out what /local/data/mailman/mail/mailman is 
doing? Is there a debug switch on mailman? There is nothing in the 
mailman logs. sendmail log contains

Nov  1 12:55:37 biwebs1 sendmail[29557]: [ID 702911 mail.info] alias 
database /etc/mail/aliases.db out of date
Nov  1 12:55:37 biwebs1 sendmail[29557]: [ID 801593 mail.notice] 
jA1CjGP4029557: carshare at mailman-new.nerc-liv.ac.uk... User unknown
Nov  1 12:55:48 biwebs1 sendmail[29557]: [ID 801593 mail.notice] 
jA1CjGP4029557: carshare at biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk... User unknown
Nov  1 12:56:02 biwebs1 sendmail[29557]: [ID 801593 mail.info] 
jA1CjGP4029557: from=R.Gillman at nerc.ac.uk, size=0, class=0, nrcpts=0, 
proto=SMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=biwebs1-2 [192.171.196.100]
Nov  1 13:07:10 biwebs1 sendmail[29973]: [ID 702911 mail.info] alias 
database /etc/mail/aliases.db out of date
Nov  1 13:07:10 biwebs1 sendmail[29973]: [ID 801593 mail.notice] 
jA1CuhP4029973: carshare at biwebs1.nerc-liv.ac.uk... User unknown

Anyone been here before, and know the answer?

tia, Dick


-- 
Richard Gillman
iTSS UNIX Systems Group, Maclean Building, Wallingford OX10 8BB
Tel: 01491 - 692 339