[Pkg-Cyrus-imapd-Debian-devel] Bug#342660: cyrus22-imapd: suggest making skiplist the default database backend for new installs

[Mark Nipper]

Package: cyrus22-imapd
Version: 2.2.12-1
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch

        After recent problems upgrading from the 2.2.12 packages
previously available from debian.speedblue.org which were using db3 to
the new official packages using db4.2, I would suggest making the
default backend for everything on a new installation skiplist over
anything BDB.  There are seemingly known issues even using db4.3 and
although I upgraded all of my existing db3 files to db4.2 using
db4.2_upgrade, I still ended up having cyrmaster crash on me due to
critical database errors.

        This seems like a headache which most folks could easily avoid
by using the (only tad bit slower for most installations) skiplist
format which probably won't be changing much if at all between releases.
I'm not saying BDB support should be removed as it will provide the
fastest possible configuration for folks willing to deal with the
potential hassles.  Anyway, just adding something like:
---
# bypass BDB hell
annotation_db: skiplist
duplicate_db: skiplist
mboxlist_db: skiplist
ptscache_db: skiplist
quota_db: skiplist
seenstate_db: skiplist
subscription_db: skiplist
tlscache_db: skiplist
---

to imapd.conf will cover things for new installations.

        At the very least, I would mention this as either part of a
debconf message or in one of the Debian README files so that folks are
aware of the potential dangers in using the BDB backend and a really
simple way to avoid trouble by using only skiplist instead.

        I was thankfully able to convert the necessary db4.2 files I had
over to skiplist.  After removing /var/lib/cyrus/db(.backup[12])?/* and
the skiplist conversion for everything else (.db, .seen and .sub files),
Cyrus is stable again and I have yet to see any further problems.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (700, 'testing'), (600, 'unstable'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.13.4
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)

Versions of packages cyrus22-imapd depends on:
ii  cyrus22-common                2.2.12-1   Cyrus mail system (common files)
ii  libc6                         2.3.5-8    GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libdb4.2                      4.2.52-18  Berkeley v4.2 Database Libraries [
ii  libsasl2                      2.1.19-1.7 Authentication abstraction library
ii  libssl0.9.8                   0.9.8a-3   SSL shared libraries
ii  libwrap0                      7.6.dbs-8  Wietse Venema's TCP wrappers libra

cyrus22-imapd recommends no packages.

-- no debconf information