[Pkg-exim4-users] Questions about configuring

[Andreas Metzler]

On 2005-06-01 Ross Boylan <ross@biostat.ucsf.edu> wrote:
> On Sun, 2005-05-29 at 08:10 +0200, Andreas Metzler wrote: 
[...]
> I want to double-check that stuff I put in main/00_local is read before
> things in the acl/ directory (for example).  The new README seems to
> indicate everything can go under main, and the update-exim4.conf manpage
> indicates main is read first.

Hello,

Macro definitions like "CHECK_RCPT_VERIFY_SENDER = true" need to go
into the initial part of exim's configuration.
<http://www.exim.org/exim-html-4.50/doc/html/spec_6.html#SECT6.2>

With split_config the Debian setup constructs this part from the files
in conf.d/main/

> Since the general logic is by
> alphabetical order, and acl precedes main, I'm a little concerned
> changes to acl need to go in acl/00_local.

If you want to use statements that exim's configuration file expects
in the acl-section they'll need to go into the conf.d/acl/ if you are
using the provided macro-hooks in the shipped acls (e.g.
HECK_RCPT_VERIFY_SENDER) by setting a macro, then of course this
macro-definition has to go into the main section, like any other
moacro-definition. 

> Proposed change update-exim4.conf manpage, to make that interpretation
[...]

Thanks. I've applied this change in SVN:
--------------------
--- update-exim4.conf.8	(Revision 1167)
+++ update-exim4.conf.8	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 .\" First parameter, NAME, should be all caps
 .\" Second parameter, SECTION, should be 1-8, maybe w/ subsection
 .\" other parameters are allowed: see man(7), man(1)
-.TH UPDATE-EXIM4.CONF 8 "Apr  3, 2005" EXIM4
+.TH UPDATE-EXIM4.CONF 8 "Jun  4, 2005" EXIM4
 .\" Please adjust this date whenever revising the manpage.
 .\"
 .\" Some roff macros, for reference:
@@ -58,15 +58,27 @@
 to the output file
 .I /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.
 .PP
-Depending on the setting of dc_use_split_config in
-/etc/exim4/update\-exim4.conf.conf
+If dc_use_split_config in /etc/exim4/update\-exim4.conf.conf specifies a split
+configuration,
 .B update\-exim4.conf
-either sorts the files in the subdirectories main, acl, router, transport,
-retry, rewrite and auth of /etc/exim4/conf.d in the lexical sort order,
-concatenates them and replaces the patterns DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF or only
-replaces the patterns DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF listed in
-/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template.
-It does not change the other contents of these files.
+processes the /etc/exim4/conf.d subdirectories in the order main, acl,
+router, transport, retry, rewrite and auth. Within each directory it takes
+files in lexical sort order by file name. It concatenates all these files
+and makes the debconf replacement described below.
+
+If you are not using split configuration
+.B update\-exim4.conf
+concatenates
+/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.localmacros
+(if this file exists) and /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template (in this order) and
+makes the debconf replacement described below.
+
+In either case, before outputting the result
+to /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated, 
+.B update\-exim4.conf
+replaces the
+patterns DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF with the contents of dc_something
+from /etc/exim4/update\-exim4.conf.conf. It makes no other changes.
 This makes it very simple to make small changes to the configuration and
 still have the benefits of debconf.
 
--------------------

Actually some of the English language in there sounds strange to me,
but you're a native speaker, ... ;-)

[...]
>>> /usr/share/doc/exim4-base/README.Debian
>>> "If you want to tweak the configuration, please see the configuration
>>> files in /etc/exim4/conf.d, and /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template."
>>> That makes it sound as if the latter is the right place.
>> [...]

>> Does it? Have you got a suggestion for improving this?
> If you want to tweak the configuration you should modify
> /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template if you have an "unsplit"
> configuration.  If you have a "split" configuration modify or add to
> the files under /etc/exim4/conf.d/.  In either case the files are
> extensively commented.  For small changes in the split
> configuration, create a file with a name like
> /etc/exim4/conf.d/00_local and put appropriate variable definitions
> it.  See the section on configuration below for more details.

I've copied this, but dumped the sentence about
"/etc/exim4/conf.d/00_local", as I think there should be some more
documention about the macros, and this sentence would belong in there.

[some more stuff snipped, postponed for later consideration]
                  cu andreas
-- 
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