Mail directory in Secure Shell ( SSH )

**Nobleman** · 14-11-2008

A Freind running Open Server 6 reported that if he was connected via SSH then he could not read his email (on SCO), but could if he was connected via telnet. Some research revealed that a telnet login set MAIL differently from what an SSH login set it. Looking at the OpenSSH source, it appears that there is a build-time option for what the mail directory is. He's using the standard sshd delivered by SCO. I am too, and it exhibits the same behavior. Is this a build bug on SCO's part ?

**Marco-D** · 14-11-2008

Originally Posted by Nobleman

A Freind running Open Server 6 reported that if he was connected via SSH then he could not read his email (on SCO), but could if he was connected via telnet. Some research revealed that a telnet login set MAIL differently from what an SSH login set it. Looking at the OpenSSH source, it appears that there is a build-time option for what the mail directory is. He's using the standard sshd delivered by SCO. I am too, and it exhibits the same behavior. Is this a build bug on SCO's part ?

What is in the user's ~/.profile and /etc/profile to set the MAIL environment variable? The default settings on SCO are probably /usr/spool/mail/username which doesn't work for me as we use Maildir stores where the MAIL=$HOME/Maildir so it has to be set in the $HOME/.profile file.

There are several options to ssh in openssh including using the file ~/.ssh/environment on the remote machine to set environment variables, which may or may not be allowed depending on the setting of PermitUserEnvironment in the destination machines sshd_config file.

**Nobleman** · 14-11-2008

Originally Posted by Marco-D

What is in the user's ~/.profile and /etc/profile to set the MAIL environment variable? The default settings on SCO are probably /usr/spool/mail/username which doesn't work for me as we use Maildir stores where the MAIL=$HOME/Maildir so it has to be set in the $HOME/.profile file.

There are several options to ssh in openssh including using the file ~/.ssh/environment on the remote machine to set environment variables, which may or may not be allowed depending on the setting of PermitUserEnvironment in the destination machines sshd_config file.

In my standard install, there is nothing in these files relative to MAIL. The 'man login' seems to indicate that the MAIL default is built into the login program. Yes, there are various ways to fix the problem. But I still contend that there IS a problem in the software as it is delivered.

**DAIJIRO** · 14-11-2008

Originally Posted by Nobleman

A Freind running Open Server 6 reported that if he was connected via SSH then he could not read his email (on SCO), but could if he was connected via telnet. Some research revealed that a telnet login set MAIL differently from what an SSH login set it. Looking at the OpenSSH source, it appears that there is a build-time option for what the mail directory is. He's using the standard sshd delivered by SCO. I am too, and it exhibits the same behavior. Is this a build bug on SCO's part ?

I just tried telnet and ssh to my account on an OSR6/MP2 machine, and then to my account on an OSR6/MP3 machine. In both telnet cases, MAIL was set to /usr/spool/mail/jpr. In both ssh cases, MAIL was set to /var/spool/mail/jpr. But on OSR6, that's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

**Nobleman** · 15-11-2008

Originally Posted by DAIJIRO

I just tried telnet and ssh to my account on an OSR6/MP2 machine, and then to my account on an OSR6/MP3 machine. In both telnet cases, MAIL was set to /usr/spool/mail/jpr. In both ssh cases, MAIL was set to /var/spool/mail/jpr. But on OSR6, that's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

I have MP2, and my MAIL is set to /var/mail/ras.
Are you running a standard sshd as delivered by SCO, or did you build it ? Can you tell what version it is?