Bug#398965: exim4: The format and usage of /etc/aliases should be documented preferably in a manpage

[vaqflabuopac at spammotel.com]

Package: exim4
Version: 4.50-8sarge2
Followup-For: Bug #398965

I have exammined the exim4-config_files manpage from 4.63-10 and they
fail to address the points I reported. Further the example used in this
man page raises more questions.
"The file should contain lins of the form
name: address, address, ..."
Does this mean every address will recieve a copy of the mail, or will
the fist to succeed recieve the only copy?
"For  more  detailed  documentation,  please  refer  to
/usr/share/doc/exim4-base/spec.txt.gz, chapter 22, and to
/usr/share/doc/exim4-base/README.Debian.gz."
Chapter 22 is pretty heavy reading and offten focused on exim's
configuration in exim4.conf.template. While I got something out of it, I
think most users would fizzle a few brain cells if they tried to set up
there aliases file from reading chapter 22.
README.Debian.gz references to /etc/aliases is focused on what features
are disabled in debian by default, and doesn't offer anything to help in
understanding the format of /etc/aliases.
Having read chapter 22 I think /etc/aliases could use its own manpage,
with a focus on the formatof and examples for the aliases file, written
to an audience less knowlegable in the workings of exim4.conf.template.


-- Package-specific info:
Exim version 4.50 #1 built 11-Apr-2006 12:29:22
Copyright (c) University of Cambridge 2004
Berkeley DB: Sleepycat Software: Berkeley DB 4.2.52: (December  3, 2003)
Support for: iconv() IPv6 GnuTLS
Lookups: lsearch wildlsearch nwildlsearch iplsearch cdb dbm dbmnz dsearch nis nis0 passwd
Authenticators: cram_md5 plaintext
Routers: accept dnslookup ipliteral manualroute queryprogram redirect
Transports: appendfile/maildir/mailstore autoreply lmtp pipe smtp
Fixed never_users: 0
Configuration file is /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated


NOTE: Due to debian.org's inadequate measures to prevent email address
harvesting from bugs.debian.org, you must include "Bug#", without the
quotes, in the subject of any email that you wish to send me directly.
Automated messages sent by the emial list daemon already do this.
Thank You.		Brian McDonald


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (470, 'testing'), (460, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.8-3-686
Locale: LANG=en_CA, LC_CTYPE=en_CA (charmap=ISO-8859-1)

Versions of packages exim4 depends on:
ii  exim4-base                  4.50-8sarge2 support files for all exim MTA (v4
ii  exim4-daemon-light          4.50-8sarge2 lightweight exim MTA (v4) daemon

-- no debconf information