How To: Command-Line Email as Simply as Possible

**klenwell** · May 3rd, 2008

Update: I'm adding additional instructions for installing nail on newer versions of Ubuntu. You can use mailx as others have suggested later in the thread, but I like nail's -A option, which the instructions below depend on and for which I could not find an equivalent in mailx. I've reposted a complete 6-step guide on my blog.

I'm copying this from my blog where the markup may be a little neater. I only wish it could be a little simpler. Link at bottom.

problem
I want to send email using the command line on my laptop Ubuntu system. Mainly for cron jobs and automated backups. I want to be able to do so without having to set up a full-fledged MTA like sendmail or exim. And I want to be able to use either my ISP email account or a Gmail account.

Seemed simple enough and it probably is for people who do this type of thing for a living. Took me all night. So hopefully this will save someone else (perhaps me again) hours of unnecessary frustration in the future.

solution
First, look at this diagram from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email#Workings. Without being able to find a simple step-by-step tutorial to guide me, the biggest problem I was having was sorting out what was my MUA, what was my MTA, and what if anything I needed to connect the two. Long story short, they are as follows:

MUA (the client): nail (you can also use mailx or mutt or what you will)
MTA (the mail server): your isp or gmail
MSA (smtp middle man): msmtp (a simple MTA that gets mail from your local MTA to your real MTA or mailhub)

step-by-step
For newer versions of Ubuntu (post-Gutsy), add Breezy archive to your repository

Code:

$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Add the following lines at the bottom of the file:

Code:

# breezy repositories (added to install nail)
# see http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/ for more info
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ breezy universe

Update:

Code:

$ sudo apt-get update

Install the needed programs

Code:

$ sudo apt-get install msmtp
$ sudo apt-get install nail

Install Thawte certificate for Gmail
This is necessary (I think) for Gmail. Probably the most complicated step, though not too bad thanks to instructions here:

Code:

$ mkdir -p ~/etc/.certs
$ chmod 0700 ~/etc/.certs
$ cd ~/etc/.certs
$ wget https://www.verisign.com/support/thawte-roots.zip --no-check-certificate
$ unzip thawte-roots.zip
$ cp Thawte\ Server\ Roots/ThawtePremiumServerCA_b64.txt ThawtePremiumServerCA.crt

Configure msmtp
Replace UPPERCASE text with your personal settings

Code:

$ gedit ~/.msmtprc

This will open up an msmtp configuration file where you'll want to copy the following lines, with your correct settings, of course:

Code:

# config options: http://msmtp.sourceforge.net/doc/msmtp.html#A-user-configuration-file
defaults
logfile /tmp/msmtp.log


# isp account
account isp
auth login
host SMTP.YOURISP.COM
port 25
user YOURNAME@ISP.COM
from YOURNAME@ISP.COM
password *****


# gmail account
account gmail
auth on
host smtp.gmail.com
port 587
user YOURNAME@gmail.com
password *****
from YOURNAME@gmail.com
tls on
tls_trust_file /home/USER/etc/.certs/ThawtePremiumServerCA.crt


# set default account to use (from above)
account default : isp

Change permission on this file or msmtp will complain:

Code:

$ chmod 600 ~/.msmtprc

Configure nail

Code:

$ gedit ~/.mailrc

Code:

# set smtp for nail
# ref: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php...94&postcount=6
# docs: http://msmtp.sourceforge.net/doc/msm...guration-files

# isp account (default)
# $ nail -s "subject line" -a /path/file recipient@email.com < /path/body.txt
set from="YOURNAME@ISP.COM"
set sendmail="/usr/bin/msmtp"
set message-sendmail-extra-arguments="-a isp"

# gmail account
# $ nail -A gmail -s "subject line" -a /path/file recipient@email.com < /path/body.txt
account gmail {
set from="YOURNAME@gmail.com (YOURNAME)"
set sendmail="/usr/bin/msmtp"
set message-sendmail-extra-arguments="-a gmail"
}

Send test messages for both accounts

Code:

$ echo -e "testing email from the command line" > /tmp/test_email
$ nail -s "isp test" YOURNAME@gmail.com < /tmp/test_email
$ nail -A gmail -s "gmail test" YOURNAME@gmail.com < /tmp/test_email

Check your gmail account and you should have two new messages -- one from that account and one from your ISP account. To check your log:

Code:

$ gedit /tmp/msmtp.log

Hope this helps someone. I know I could have used it!
Original source: http://phosphorusandlime.blogspot.co...ine-email.html

**andrew.46** · May 3rd, 2008

Hi,

Great guide!!

Have you considered in your own setup using mutt rather than nail? There are many guides to using this more fully featured program but in blatant self-promotion I post my own here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=565326
http://www.andrews-corner.org/mutt.html

The second link uses msmtp as you have in your guide, a great program for sure. Anyway thanks for making the effort to put this together, nail has always been a bit of a mystery to me and it is good to see a working config.

Andrew

**klenwell** · May 4th, 2008

Originally Posted by andrew.46

Great guide!!

Have you considered in your own setup using mutt rather than nail? There are many guides to using this more fully featured program but in blatant self-promotion I post my own here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=565326
http://www.andrews-corner.org/mutt.html

Thanks, Andrew. At one point in my many false starts, I installed mutt and even came across your guide (which is very well done). Mutt is just a little more than I needed in this case.

I have formerly been an advocate for the simple MTA ssmtp, which some would call a Mail Sending Agent (MSA).

Ha! Just the term I was looking for! I knew it must have its own TLA.

Tom

**hazica** · May 4th, 2008

Thanks for this simple and straightforward tutorial mate. I have been looking for something like this for a long time.

There is, however, one addendum I'd like to make for all the Hardy users out there. It appears that nail is now known as heirloom-mailx in Hardy. Don't fret, though, because it can still be found in the Hardy repositories; just install heirloom-mailx instead of nail:
Replace

Code:

sudo apt-get install nail

with

Code:

sudo apt-get install heirloom-mailx

Also, when you test the mail sending function, you have to replace

Code:

nail -A gmail -s "gmail test" USERNAME@gmail.com < /tmp/test_email

with

Code:

mailx -A gmail -s "gmail test" USERNAME@gmail.com < /tmp/test_email

Keep up the good work mate, even if it means you have to sacrifice other Friday nights. I know that puking your guts out in some dark alley can be quite entertaining, but the community comes first, right?

**HJB** · May 5th, 2008

Tnx, but I cant find a way to use mailx to send files as attachments to gmail?
If tried piping through uuencode and mpack but no go.
Any help please
Im using kubuntu 8.04 kde 4

**klenwell** · May 6th, 2008

Originally Posted by HJB

Tnx, but I cant find a way to use mailx to send files as attachments to gmail?
If tried piping through uuencode and mpack but no go.
Any help please
Im using kubuntu 8.04 kde 4

As a proof of concept, the following worked in nail:

Code:

nail -s "isp test" -a /tmp/test_email klenwell@gmail.com < /tmp/test_email

Google puts some restrictions on the type of files it will deliver so try with a simple case first. Also note that this guide is for nail (mailx-heirloom), so you may need to adjust your config file for mailx.

I'm not much help on the subject beyond this, but I imagine more details would help anyone who wished to assist.

**mwgrient** · May 19th, 2008

Thank you klenwell for sharing this info with us. And thanks all for commenting it.
Saves me a lot of time and having fun with my commandline...

**John Little** · July 18th, 2008

Originally Posted by hazica

There is, however, one addendum I'd like to make for all the Hardy users out there. It appears that nail is now known as heirloom-mailx in Hardy. Don't fret, though, because it can still be found in the Hardy repositories; just install heirloom-mailx instead of nail:
Replace

Code:

sudo apt-get install nail

with

Code:

sudo apt-get install heirloom-mailx

Thanks, hazica, but my Hardy doesn't see heirloom-mailx, and my mailx doesn't have a -A option, and doesn't understand the mutiple account stuff in the given .mailrc. I wonder if I'm missing a repository that you've used?

**stinger30au** · July 18th, 2008

Originally Posted by klenwell

I'm copying this from my blog where the markup may be a little neater. I only wish it could be a little simpler. Link at bottom.
Hope this helps someone. I know I could have used it!

thanks for the info!!!!

**r.stiltskin** · July 26th, 2008

I can't find heirloom-mailx either. Anybody know where to find it?

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