proposed addition to Roundup README.Debian (was Re: [Pkg-exim4-users] Re: pipe aliases and permissions)

[Marc Haber]

On Mon, Dec 12, 2005 at 08:37:09PM -0500, Faheem Mitha wrote:
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005, Marc Haber wrote:
> >On Sat, Dec 10, 2005 at 08:09:49PM -0500, Faheem Mitha wrote:
> >>Note I've made a few minor modifications. In particular, I've removed
> >>current_directory and home_directory since they don't do anything and Exim
> >>does not like them unset.
> >
> >I'd set them to some roundup-related directory just in case that the
> >script or a program called from there dumps core.
> 
> It's a Python script, so I would not have thought core dumps would be an 
> issue. But Ok.

Dumping core is always a possible issue. Even the python interpreter
is a binary.

> >>*******************************************************************
> >>As a mail alias pipe process
> >>
> >>Set up a mail alias called "issue_tracker" as (include the quote marks):
> >>"|/usr/bin/python /usr/local/bin/roundup-mailgw <tracker_home>"
> >>*******************************************************************
> >>
> >>However, this does not work out the box on Debian, using Debian Exim4.
> >
> >This suggests that Debian's exim packages are flawed. Your upstream
> >author is not going to like this.
> 
> I'm not sure which upstream author you are referring to.

I'm refering to roundup's author here.

> >>NB. The roundup_router needs to come before system_aliases, otherwise Exim
> >>will complain that ' pipe_transport unset in system_aliases router', and
> >>defer the message.
> >
> >That will only happen if the alias is still in place, which is not
> >necessary any more. If you remove the alias, the system_aliases router
> >will decline and anything will be fine.
> 
> Sorry. I've no idea what you mean. I got the behaviour described when I 
> dropped the files described here into a vanilla Debian Exim4 config. There 
> were no modifications to the system_aliases router still present at that 
> point.

Was the alias entry with the roundup pipe still present in
/etc/aliases when you tried?

> Can you be more explicit? What alias are you referring to?

newtracker: "|/usr/bin/python /usr/bin/roundup-mailgw /var/lib/roundup/trackers/newtracker/"

> ###############################################################################
> Hi,
> 
> In the Roundup installation documentation
> (http://roundup.sourceforge.net/doc-0.8/installation.html#configure-an-email-interface),
> it says
> 
> *******************************************************************
> As a mail alias pipe process
> 
> Set up a mail alias called "issue_tracker" as (include the quote marks): 
> "|/usr/bin/python /usr/local/bin/roundup-mailgw <tracker_home>"
> *******************************************************************
> 
> However, the Debian Exim4 packages don't allow pipes in alias files by
> default, and I propose using a custom router & transport to accomplish
> delivery to roundup-mailgw as per the recommendations of the Debian
> Exim maintainers.
> 
> Please consider appending this information to README.Debian, along
> with the other Debian-specific configuration information.
> 
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ BEGIN PROPOSED ADDITION TO README.DEBIAN @@@@@@@@@@@@
> 
> The following configuration files for Exim 4 implement a custom router
> & transport to accomplish delivery to roundup-mailgw as per the
> recommendations of the Debian Exim maintainers.
> 
> This configuration replaces the instructions in the Roundup
> installation documentation
> (http://roundup.sourceforge.net/doc-0.8/installation.html#configure-an-email-interface),
> for configuring the mail gateway, which says
> 
> *******************************************************************
> As a mail alias pipe process
> 
> Set up a mail alias called "issue_tracker" as (include the quote marks): 
> "|/usr/bin/python /usr/local/bin/roundup-mailgw <tracker_home>"
> *******************************************************************
> 
> The following configuration has been tested on Debian Sarge with Exim4.
> 
> The following three config files, when dropped into
> /etc/exim4/conf.d/, should do what it necessary. Note that as per
> directions in the Debian Exim README.Debian, the monolithic file
> (unsplit configuration) /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template can be rebuilt
> from the conf.d files by running 'update-exim4.conf.template -r'.

This will overwrite any local changes to update-exim4.conf.template.
Users should be warned.

In the README, I'd refer to the exim4 README.

> This configuration is largely due to Marc Haber, one of the Debian
> Exim maintainers, but has been modified by me.
> 
> This config makes a few assumptions:
> 
> 1) That the mail address corresponding to the tracker instance has the
> same name as the directory of the tracker instance, ie. the mail
> address corresponding to a Roundup instance called
> /var/lib/roundup/trackers/mytracker is mytracker at ...
> 
> 2) That (at least) all the db subdirectories of all the tracker
> instances (ie. /var/lib/roundup/trackers/*/db) are owned by the same
> user, in this case, 'roundup'.
> 
> 3) That if the schema.py file exists, then the tracker is 'ready to
> go'. I'm not sure if it would be better to use the config.ini file.
> 
> However, it has the advantage that modulo these assumptions no further 
> configuration will need to be made when new tracker instances are added.
> 
> NB. The roundup_router needs to come before system_aliases, otherwise Exim 
> will complain that 'pipe_transport unset in system_aliases router', and 
> defer the message. Using 050 ensures that it is included before 
> system_aliases, which is 
> /etc/exim4/conf.d/router/400_exim4-config_system_aliases.

Again, I do not think that this paragraph is necessary and that you
are suffering from the remnants of your experiments with the alias file.

Greetings
Marc

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