"Any Linux gurus out there?" Topic

The linux sendmail command ("mail") has stopped functioning on the TMP server.

The server tech tells me:

You current have sendmail installed on your linux server.

Your current server is running Centos 4.19 which has reached EOL.

We're unable to install the required repositories to compile sendmail to have your server send as [TMP email address].

Advice?

Seems to me that it would be the hosting service's responsibility to update/replace the operating system on their server, not mine.

Disclaimer: Not a guru.

Advice: Read your contract.

Like you, I would expect that if you are paying for hosting on a server, that is their responsibility. You would need to cite the paragraph in your contract that says so.

That said, CentOS 4.anything is over a decade old. While the later and current versions may have absolutely no additional useful functionality for you, they do keep up with the APIs for services external to the OS, like email.

Without running a diagnostic on your system, I would guess that the version you are running is no longer compatible with whatever email API your host is using. Which is kind of sad, since the email API hasn't really seen any additional useful function in several decades.

Again, spitballing, but if I were a host, I would not allow you (a customer) to compile core services like that. So it would be something I (the host) would do for you (the customer). Email is one of the most popularly and easily abused services (doing things outside the TOS), so allowing a customer that level of control on the service signifcantly risks them (the customer) altering the service, and if they're good, obscuring my (the host's) ability to monitor the use of the service.

So … read your contract and poke them in the eye with it.

They tell me they can transfer me (shudder) to a new server with a new operating system.

They said there are no guarantees my website will work on the new server.

I suggesting testing first.

Set the date back on the OS in the container. It will tell the software that it is February 24, 2024, and it won't be EOL. All our posts will be dated 2024, but we'll have to live with that. Otherwise we won't be able to keep up our tradition of never updating any software.

If you find an actual guru you can have them get the OS to tell the TMP software the real date and the email software the wrong date.

Another alternative would be to host the email somewhere else. It does not have to be on the same machine or "machine" as TMP itself.

Does this have anything to do with all the blue-square-white-question-marks?

I would bet getting the old forum software to run on a "new server" would be a nightmare. It would be a lot of work just to keep very old software alive, and that time could be better spent migrating our content to a modern forum.

If it were me I would be trying to have some other computer handle the email while looking for a modern forum hosting package. That's a one-step, no risk, no kludge path to getting up and running that doesn't invest any effort into antiques.

Another happy thought: email EOLed on you this month and caused this problem, but TMP is a collection of things (I would suppose) and more of them are likely to sunset on us. You might look at what else is deprecated and see if you can fix the next thing before it bites you.

You are in an unenviable position, good luck!

Bill, whatever they changes they want to make you need to get them to TEST them first, they should have a lab environment set-up, BEFORE going "live" with them.

Another alternative would be to host the email somewhere else. It does not have to be on the same machine or "machine" as TMP itself.

The TMP server would still need a means to send email.

that doesn't invest any effort into antiques.

The coding language which TMP was built with is arguably antique now. The databases are also in an 'antique' format, but they can be ported to a modern format. The code can also be updated, either to a later Miva version or to an alternate coding language.

It would be a lot of work just to keep very old software alive, and that time could be better spent migrating our content to a modern forum.

Actually, getting a so-called 'modern forum' to adapt to our style of forums would also be a 'nightmare'. And it's not really difficult to update old software.

TMP is a collection of things (I would suppose)

Not really. Operating system, coding language, email system, databases – that's about it.

you need to get them to TEST them first

They are saying it is my responsibility to do the testing. But at least they are willing to test first.