QMail SMTP Relaying: All or nothing??

[HyperactiveFun]

H'lo -

I'm using RH9 & QMail. Someone else set it up. Gotta question...

Websites on the server - say, running a perl or php script - can't send out e-mail. It seems like it's either all or nothing -- either it's entirely open (Open Relay), or no mail will go out whatsoever. How, in incredibly simple terms/instructions, can I configure it to allow the local server to send to anyone (like when apache is running a script that needs to email a user), but at the same time NOT be wide open to the world? I've tried seemingly EVERYTHING, but no go.

Thanks in advance - have a great week!

- Steve

[chort]

How are the sripts sending messages? Are they opening a socket connection and issuing the commands to the local SMTP daemon, or are they trying to invoke a program to send the message?

What happens when you log into the box with SSH, telnet to 127.0.0.1 25 and try to send a message by hand?

Can you post any log entries from qmail which show the message being denied or any error messages related to sending the message?

Last, are you sure qmail is the problem? Are the scripts trying to invoke sendmail to send messages?