[quote user="Methuselah"]
Local Users:
 Username=TechnoMail, Personal Name = Robin Martin

Core/Local Domain:
  LocalHost = YMCSERV, Internet name = technolib.coza

 Aliases:
  Alias=robin@technolib.coza, Real address=TechnoMail

THIS WORKS - via Mercury spooler only . . .  at last !![/quote]

My goodness, you're really good at trial and error. Now here is an explanation:
Real Address within the Alias configuration, is either

Configuration interfaces is hard to do that are so intuitive that someone with limited knowledge can set this up. As programmers it is also very hard to imagine, how someone not involved in the lingo reads the interfaces.
Nonetheless, you DID IT! Congratulations.

As a new user, I have not yet spotted anything obvious as to how I can declare "local users".

I haven't managed to prevent "internal" mail from going via the ISP.
Based on the Help, it should be somewhere under core config, local domains.
I have tried many variations, but haven't hit on the correct one yet.

Environment :
Small office, users share a single incoming address, which is then distributed based on the headers.
The workstations connect to a single machine running Mercury.
The name of this machine is YMCSERV - it can be changed.
I made the "Internet name for this system" the same - YMCSERV
The machine collects and sends mail for users at 'technolib.coza'
The machine also collects and sends mail for users at 'agrilibrium.coza'
It also collects and sends for other emails 'domains' - users may have multiple email addresses

"Internal mail", between technolib users on the local LAN is going via the ISP.
(i.e. mail from james @ technolib.coza  to robin @ technolib.coza should not go via ISP)

Functional but unnecessary - I would appreciate any clues you have for me, please.

Robin 

What have you got in Configuration/Local users ?

paul

Hey, Paul

Examples to play with - from myself to myself:

 Username  TechnoMail,  Personal Robin Martin<

1. Clear out all entries in Core/Local Domains.   
    Am able to send from robin@technolib.coza to robin@technolib.coza, but goes via ISP.
   (Core Process display shows robin@technolib.coza (non-local) as expected

2. Add Core/Local Domains . . . Host=TechnoMail, Internet name=robin@technolib.coza
   (Core Process display shows from (non-local) to (non-local)

3. Remove and Add Core/Local Domains . . . Host=TechnoMail, Internet name=technolib.coza
    Displays show all sorts of errors, robin@technolib.coza has invalid or illegal address
    Missing or malformed local part.
     Clear entries, retry a send - okay, but via ISP.

4. Remove and Add Core/Local Domains . . . DM=TechnoMail, Internet name=technolib.coza
    Okay, from local to local . . . looking good !

5.  Define second   James, Personal James De Vries
    Send mail from Robin to James.
    Bummer - arrives back into Domain mailbox, TechnoMail.

6.  Clear Local Domains, send from robin to james . . . works, but via ISP.

Predicament !!
I guess I don't understand the protocols or settings.

[quote user="Methuselah"]Hey, Paul
3. Remove and Add Core/Local Domains . . . Host=TechnoMail, Internet name=technolib.coza
    Displays show all sorts of errors, robin@technolib.coza has invalid or illegal address
    Missing or malformed local part.
[/quote]

Getting there! Yes that local domain setting looks OK.   What about Local users? 

If it is a local installation there is little need to use a domain mailbox.

Add local users, then their aliases.

To a local user you can receive whatever addresses.
Just like: papa@papa.com == mailbox1
and papa@mama.com == mailbox1

Your colleagues then receive their email via pop3, utilizing module MercuryP, from their respective mailboxes.

For a traditional local system, you'd write your full internet name in "internet name for this system" setting, not just the host.
If you're behind a nat routing, not with a public IP, you'd send via MercuryC otherwise preferrably via MercuryS.

Hi guys.

Perhaps a simplified diagram will help - to avoid ambiguity and give concrete names to what must be defined.

   Only YMCSERV should need Internet acccess. Robin and Shiela can send from either address.
   I want to achieve the following routing with Mercury :-

1.  From robin@technolib.coza   to   accounts@agrilib.coza - local, via Mercury only
2.  From robin@technolib.coza   to   farmer@agrilib.coza - remote, via Mercury, to ISP Main, to ISP2
3.  From farmer@agrilib.coza   to   robin@agrilib.coza - ISP2, via Mercury, to Robin

4.  From james@technolib.coza to robin@technolib.coza - local, via Mercury only 

5.  From salesman@newbus.com  to   accounts@technolib.coza - ISP2, to ISP Main, via Mercury to Shiela

> If it is a local installation there is little need to use a domain mailbox.
I agree with not wanting the domain mailbox - tried in attempt to avoid local-mail-via-ISP.

> Add local users, then their aliases.
I have no aliases defined - is this the problem ?
Should I define an alias-email for each mailbox, e.g. Alias={mailboxname} Real Address={robin@technolib.coza}

> For a traditional local system, you'd write your full internet name in "internet name for this system" setting, not just the host.
As per diagram, there is no "full internet name" . . . we can make one up if needed, it must serve multiple domains internally.

> If you're behind a nat routing, not with a public IP, you'd send via MercuryC otherwise preferrably via MercuryS.
Not behind NAT, just firewall (M0n0wall box)

We can change anything necessary to get this working.
I suspect it's purely some config things I don't understand rightly. 

Just one question - when you write '.coza' do you mean '.co.za'  ?  coza is not a valid TLD is it?

[:D]  Yeah, edited email addresses to discourage spam-bot harvesting.

[quote user="Methuselah"] > Add local users, then their aliases.
I have no aliases defined - is this the problem ?
Should I define an alias-email for each mailbox, e.g. Alias={mailboxname} Real Address={robin@technolib.coza}[/quote]

Yes, define as many aliases as you like to each mailbox. You may also define aliases that route email off your Mercury install.

[quote user="Methuselah"]> For a traditional local system, you'd write your full internet name in "internet name for this system" setting, not just the host.
As per diagram, there is no "full internet name" . . . we can make one up if needed, it must serve multiple domains internally.[/quote]

Postmaster is made up of, postmaster@"internet name for this system", so it doesn't matter that you give it the truthful name, just so that e-mails back to you get back, ie that "internet name for this system" resolves and gives a valid mx-pointer.

So, let us see if we can send an email from Robin to Robin, i.e. robin@technolib.coza to robin@technolib.coza

What should our system parameters look like ?

Local Users:
 Username=TechnoMail, Personal Name = Robin Martin

Core/Local Domain:
  LocalHost = TechnoMail, Internet name = robin@technolib.coza

 Aliases:
  None

Does not work, email goes via ISPMain to ISP1 and back again. 

Next try at sending an email from Robin to Robin, i.e. robin@technolib.coza to robin@technolib.coza

System configuration is :-

Local Users:

 Username=TechnoMail, Personal Name = Robin Martin

Core/Local Domain:

  LocalHost = YMCSERV, Internet name = technolib.coza

 Aliases:

  None

Bounce Mercury and try again.
Does not work, Mercury Core Process display shows error message:
 Job MG000001: from robin@technolib.cozaJobhas invalid or illegal address.

Postmaster message later on:
 Job MG000003: from <> local
 User <robin@technolib.coza> not known at this site.

Next try at sending an email from Robin to Robin, i.e. robin@technolib.coza to robin@technolib.coza

System configuration is :-

Local Users:

 Username=TechnoMail, Personal Name = Robin Martin

Core/Local Domain:

  LocalHost = YMCSERV, Internet name = technolib.coza

 Aliases:

  Alias=TechnoMail, Real address=robin@technolib.coza

Bounce Mercury and try again.
Also does not work, Mercury Core Process display shows error message:
 Job MG000001: from robin@technolib.cozaJobhas invalid or illegal address.

Postmaster message later on:
 Job MG000003: from <> local
 User <robin@technolib.coza> not known at this site.

Mail not returned or anything, just goes nowhere 

Finally, let's test from Robin to James, i.e. robin@technolib.coza to james@technolib.coza

System configuration is :-

Local Users:

 Username=TechnoMail, Personal Name = Robin Martin
 Username=James, Personal Name = James De Vries 

Core/Local Domain:

  Nothing

 Aliases:

  Alias=robin@technolib.coza, Real address=TechnoMail

  Alias=james@technolib.coza, Real address=James

Bounce Mercury and try it.
Excellent . . . via Mercury spooler only.

Note:  I think my confusion was that I had the terminology "reversed".
    To me, the "real world address" meant the email address, <robin@technolib.coza>.
   "TechnoMail" exists only as a Mercury internal mailbox name, not anywhere else.