IBM Support

Why do I get 'unnamed' or 'noname' attachments when using uuencode and mailx?

Question & Answer


Question

Since the AIX mailx command does not support attachments, I was advised to use uuencode.
# uuencode my.file my.file | mailx -v -s "Emailing Attachments" myID@myhostname.com
When I open this email with my local mail client, I have two attachments.
  • noname
  • my.file
Why do I get extra attachments?

Answer

The uuencode command converts a file from its binary form into a 7-bit ASCII set of text characters. It is used for email clients that do not support MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). 

The email client may be designed to read the 'begin' and 'end' of the file, and uudecode the data accordingly.  It may leave the ascii file as  "noname" or "unnamed".

For example:

Send email:

# uuencode my.file my.file | mailx -v -s "Emailing Attachments" myID@myhostname.com
Read email:
There might be two attachments:

1) "noname"

  • This is the uuencoded text

2) "my.file"

  • The decoded version

You can use manual intervention to properly convert the emails, by adding custom headers to the text file. This is out of scope for AIX Support, and requirements vary by file type. It is recommended to use an email software that supports MIME if your email client expects proper MIME headers.

There are some open source options on the AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications download site. 

  • The Mutt or Elm email clients have MIME support. 
  • New packages are added to the site regularly.
  • AIX Toolbox support is provided through the Open Source Forum
SUPPORT

A) For all questions or issues with AIX Toolbox for Linux Application ("AIX Toolbox") packages, support is provided through the following option:

1) The AIX Open Source Community Discussion forum: 

Cases opened to address AIX Toolbox problems are canceled and users are referred to the Open Source Forum.
B) If you have questions about uuencode, or sendmail, open an AIX Case (See the following C section) for assistance.
C) Opening an AIX Support Case

If additional assistance is required due to issues with rpm.rte file set (see preceding B section), use the following step-by-step instructions to contact IBM to open a case for software with an active and valid support contract.  

1.  Document (or collect screen captures of) all symptoms, errors, and messages related to your issue.

2.  Capture any logs or data relevant to the situation.

3.  Contact IBM to open a case:

   -For electronic support, see the IBM Support Community:
     https://www.ibm.com/mysupport
   -If you require telephone support, see the web page:
      https://www.ibm.com/planetwide/

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Document Information

Modified date:
11 February 2021

UID

ibm16414985

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