[comp.emacs] Using RMAIL under HPUX

tgw@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (11/25/87)

I am having problems getting gnu-emacs 18.48 RMAIL to run
under HP-UX.  When I execute M-x rmail I receive the following
message:

---------------------------------
movemail: error creating lock file
---------------------------------

The following is my lock directory and paths.h file.

-------------------- long listing of /usr/local/emacs/lock
drwxrwxrwx   2 root     other         64 Nov 24 18:58 lock
--------------------

---------------------------------- src/paths.h
/* The default search path for Lisp function "load".
   This sets load-path.  */
#define PATH_LOADSEARCH "/usr/local/emacs/lisp"

/* the extra search path for programs to invoke.
 This is appended to whatever the PATH environment variable says
 to set the Lisp variable exec-path and the first file namein it
  sets the Lisp variable exec-directory.  */
#define PATH_EXEC "/usr/local/emacs/etc"

/* the name of the directory that contains lock files
 with which we record what files are being modified in Emacs.
 This directory should be writable by everyone.
 THE STRING MUST END WITH A SLASH!!!  */
#define PATH_LOCK "/usr/local/emacs/lock/"

/* the name of the file !!!SuperLock!!! in the directory
 specified by PATH_LOCK.  Yes, this is redundant.  */
#define PATH_SUPERLOCK "/usr/local/emacs/lock/!!!SuperLock!!!"
----------------------------------

Rmail seems to work when I log in as root, but not any other user.
Anything I might have missed? 

Thanks,
Tim Wade
tgw@mitre-bedford

wjc@ho7cad.UUCP (11/30/87)

>   under HP-UX.  When I execute M-x rmail I receive the following message:
>   ---------------------------------
>   movemail: error creating lock file
>   --------------------------------- ....
>   Rmail seems to work when I log in as root, but not any other user.
>   Anything I might have missed? 

Lucky you.  This  one's really easy (same  thing happened  to me first
time  around).  Go  to the GNU  emacs  "etc" directory.  Be "root" and
"chgrp  mail movemail", "chmod g+s   movemail".  The  movemail program
needs  permission to create a lock  file in you system mail  directory
while it empties your mailbox.   (This has nothing to  do with the GNU
emacs lock files.)

	Bill Carpenter
	(AT&T gateways)!ho5cad!wjc
	HO 1L-410, (201)949-8392

bd@hpsemc.UUCP (bob desinger) (12/01/87)

Tim Wade mentions a diagnostic:
> movemail: error creating lock file

Is the problem that movemail isn't setgid to mail?  System V (and
HP-UX, which is SysV) implements mail security by making the maildrop
directory /usr/mail writable to the group mail.  Programs wishing to
play in /usr/mail must be setgid and owned by group mail.  Here's how
it is on our HP-UX system, a model 840:

drwxrwxr-x   2 bin      mail        1024 Nov 25 18:45 /usr/mail
-rwxr-sr-x   2 root     mail      137216 Oct  2 00:00 /bin/rmail

If this is the problem (I haven't looked at movemail's sources and
they're not on-line right now), do the following:

	cd /usr/local/lib/emacs/etc	# or wherever movemail lives
	chgrp mail movemail
	chmod g+s movemail

The last two steps will require super-user permissions unless you are
a member of group `mail' (in /etc/logingroups or /etc/groups).

I don't use rmail, but I do use `M-x display-time' which uses the
loadst program.  I had to do a similar thing so that loadst could read
/dev/kmem: change loadst's group to comply with System V's protection
mechanism.

bob desinger
HP Software Evaluation and Miplanplanp. .vax