invalid myhostname parameter allowed during configuration

[Cordeyo Juarez]

Binary package hint: postfix

Unbunto 10.04.1 LTS

Fail on auto install from updates icon

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: postfix 2.7.0-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-24.41-generic 2.6.32.15+drm33.5
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-24-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Aug 24 16:25:44 2010
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 75
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100427.1)
SourcePackage: postfix
Title: package postfix 2.7.0-1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 75

[Clint Byrum (clint-fewbar)]

Hi Cordeyo, thanks for taking the time to file this bug report and work with us to make Ubuntu better!

I believe you have an invalid value int he 'myhostname' field in main.cf:

From DpkgTerminalLog.gz:

newaliases: warning: valid_hostname: misplaced delimiter: xubuntu.hsd1.ga.comcast.net.
newaliases: fatal: file /etc/postfix/main.cf: parameter myhostname: bad parameter value: xubuntu.hsd1.ga.comcast.net.
dpkg: error processing postfix (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 75

There is a trailing period on the value. Please try modifying that value (you may need to change it in /etc/mailname) and then running this in a terminal:

sudo apt-get -f install

To finish configuring your system.

I do believe that the validation that postfix's configuration system has should have stopped this from getting to this point.

Marking as Triaged, and changing summary to indicate that configuration validation needs to be evaluated and enhanced so that users are informed of any formatting problems at the time that they enter data. Importance is Wishlist.

[Robie Basak (racb)]

I've just picked up a duplicate of this. Both this and the other bug involve hostnames involving comcast.net. I suspect that Comcast's DHCP service is resulting in these hostnames.

If this is true, then either:

1) A dot terminating a hostname should be disallowed, and the DHCP client should remove a terminating dot from a DHCP response before applying it to the hostname, or

2) The postfix package should remove any terminating dot before supplying a hostname automatically.

Note that the other duplicate (bug 629685) is slightly different - it is invalid for a different reason.

Workaround: configure the Postfix hostname using /etc/mailname as Clint describes in comment #2.