postfix: programmatically adding a user

I asked this question two months ago and got nary an answer. In fact I earned the tumbleweed badge for asking a question that garnered so little interest.

However, this seems like a straightforward question with a definitive answer and I really need to be able to do this.

If there's still no answers I'd sure appreciate if anyone has any ideas about any other forums that might help me out. I tried asking godaddy but I guess I don't spend enough money with them for this level of support.

Thanks and here's the question:

I'm using a godaddy virtual dedicated server, and the default email server that comes bundled with it is postfix. There is even a way to add domains and user accounts through the godaddy control panel.

I am trying to figure out (1) exactly what it is they are doing to create new accounts via the control panel, and then (2) how to do that via a Linux shell script.

I have never used postfix and have been trying to wade through the man pages and other documentation. It appears that when the user acco开发者_如何学Cunts are associated with a domain, then the user accounts are "virtual". So far I've discovered that when I use the godaddy control panel to add a new email account, it adds an entry into /etc/postfix/turbopanel/virtual_alias. Then, that entry also seems to get committed to the binary virtual_alias.db in the same directory.

I have manually replicated the process of adding a new email address to the virtual_alias file and then running postmap /etc/postfix/turbopanel/virtual_alias to get the entry into the virtual_alias.db file. This works, but some steps are missing: I am not able to send email to the added user, and the user doesn't show up in the godaddy control panel.

I don't think a new Linux account needs to be created for the virtual alias. The accounts created via the control panel DO NOT have an associated entry in /etc/passwd.

Any help is much appreciated.

Jeremy

---

Did you want to create virtual mailboxes or forwarders for these virtual users?

see doc on virtual_mailbox_maps = hash:/etc/postfix/vmailbox /etc/postfix/vmailbox

Tim //