Bug#403605: exim4-config: dc_other_hostnames expanded by the shell, corrupting it

[Marc Haber]

On Mon, Dec 18, 2006 at 05:37:46PM +0100, Paul Slootman wrote:
> On Mon 18 Dec 2006, Marc Haber wrote:
> > On Mon, Dec 18, 2006 at 12:41:27PM +0100, Paul Slootman wrote:
> > > Package: exim4-config
> > > Version: 4.63-11
> > > Severity: grave
> > > Justification: email was bounced, thus lost to me
> > 
> > Bounced e-mail is not lost. Downgrading.
> 
> Yes, it is. If you bounce mail e.g. for a sales email address, most
> potential customers will move on to another vendor. *I* do not have the
> data, hence it is lost.

I disagree.

> > > I have a wildcard MX *.wurtel.net, and that's filled in
> > > /etc/exim4/update-exim4.conf.conf accordingly:
> > > 
> > > dc_other_hostnames='wurtel.net : *.wurtel.net : ...'
> > 
> > not supported, dc_other_hostnames is a list of semicolon-separated
> > domain names. No wildcards here.
> 
> Why is the field called dc_other_HOSTnames then, if it's DOMAINnames?

historical reasons. Please notice that from a DNS point of view, any
fully qualified host name is also a domain name, hence the
abbreviation FQ_D_N.

> I see it as a mapping between MX records and the exim config.

It basically is part of relay control.

> It works just fine as it is,

Yes, but it has never been supported. Which is one reason for us not
to test this.

>  if the script didn't forget to quote the arguments to echo. Having to
>  implement wildcard MXen in another way just obfuscates the exim
>  config even more.

Actually, the Debconf-based exim config is a vehicle for people with
no or small technical knowlegde to get a basic e-mail server to work.
Having a wildcard MX is definetely an advanced topic.

> > > I recommend that a fix is included in the version that's to go into
> > > etch.
> > 
> > Agreed. Be warned, however, that we might fix this by forbidding * and
> > ? in ue4.conf.conf by means of replacing them with "_" after giving a
> > warning. Better move your wildcard to the macros made available inside
> > exim configuration.
> 
> Please give examples, because it's a pain to find out what the macro of
> the day is in the exim4-config setup :-(

If you find this a pain, you are not sufficiently familiar with exim
configuration to run a system with a wildcard MX.

Looking for dc_other_hostnames in update-exim4.conf.conf(5) will lead
you to DEBCONFlocal_domainsDEBCONF, which will - when looked for in
exim configuration - lead you to the MAIN_LOCAL_DOMAINS macro.

>   Is there any definitive list, with explanations?

No, we expect people fiddling with these to know their way around exim
configuration to ease our support load.

Greetings
Marc

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