[Pkg-exim4-users] DEBCONFitemDEBCONF

[Marc Haber]

On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 02:21:56PM +0300, David Baron wrote:
> On Monday 02 July 2007, Marc Haber wrote:
> > On Sun, Jul 01, 2007 at 05:11:28PM +0300, David Baron wrote:
> > > This stuff is no lonber acceptable and any Sid upgrades not accepting the
> > > maintiners configuration will render exim4 inoperative
> >
> > Exim should either not run at all, or continue running with the old
> > configuration. Please show evidence of an "inoperative" exim.
> 
> Exim complained about missing config and cited the DEBCONF macros in the /var 
> tmp file generated.

$ sudo grep DEBCONF /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated
/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template:DEBCONFthisisbrokenconfigDEBCONF
$ sudo update-exim4.conf
DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF found in exim configuration. This is most probably
caused by you upgrading to exim4 4.67-3 or later without accepting the
suggested conffile changes. Please read
/usr/share/doc/exim4-config/NEWS.Debian.gz for 4.67-2 and 4.67-4
2007-07-03 02:23:29 Exim configuration error in line 21 of /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.tmp:
  malformed macro definition
Invalid new configfile /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.tmp, not installing
/var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.tmp to /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated
$ sudo grep DEBCONF /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated
/etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template:DEBCONFthisisbrokenconfigDEBCONF
$

This shows pretty well that the invalid exim4 configuration does not
get installed to the file that is actually read by exim.

> The daemon continued to run but bawked at every email offered,
> repeated the error messages.

Please show evidence that this actually happened so that it can be
reproduced here.

>  Either of the modes cited above would have been preferable.

On my system it is workingn as designed.

> > > The documentation says one can define:
> > > exim macro DEBCONFstringOK_config_adapted
> > > and continue with existing configuration files
> >
> > No, that's wrong. If you still have - after adapting your local config
> > to the new configuration scheme - DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF somewhere in
> > your config, you can silence the warning. That is not going to change
> > your requirement to adapt your config. You can find information about
> > how to define exim macros in README.Debian.gz, chapter 2.1.3.
> 
> Ok. That "news" file was in error.

Which "news" file?

>  So what is really needed is a script to convert the configuration
>  files. Since resolving those DEBCONF thingies was part of
>  update-exim.conf, a one-time conversion script should be readily 
>  available and should be offered.

Send a patch.

> I made copies of the configuration files I believe I changed so I suppose I 
> could take the new ones and then work from there.

Actually, dpkg does this automatically for yo.

>  However, exim is not the easiest to set up and a conversion script
>  would make more sense, at least to me!

Please send such a script that works with every corner case.

> > Ask smart questions. Say exactly what you did and people will be able
> > to help. "A few places" does not help at all.
> 
> Where would one try such a thing? main/01_exim4-config_listmacrodefs (I am 
> using separate files)? update-exim4.conf.conf? Where else... ?

any file in conf.d/main would do the trick for split config. See
README.Debian.gz, chapter 2.1.3.

> If the "adapted" idea were indeed in error, then neither would worked.

Which "adapted" idea?

> > > So ... the upgrade should be nicer behaved, either shutting exim and
> > > stuff like fetchmail down until there is a valid configuration
> >
> > Please show evidence that it does not.
> Obviously does not.

Proof by assertion? You are doing absolutely nothing to help me
reproduce the issue.

> > >  or better instructions offered.
> >
> > Send a patch.
> If I knew enough on how to do that, I would be delighted. Basically as I 
> posted to Debian-user:
> 
> 1. Shutting down found mail fetcher fetchmail or alternative.
> 2. Shutting down exim4
> 3. Upgrading exim4
> 4. Uh-oh, cannot run with the old config files right now--better do something 
> about this. Do not restart the daemons until resolving this!

That's how it is designed to work, and proven to work on my test system.

Greetings
Marc

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