[Pkg-exim4-users] Questions about configuring

[Ross Boylan]

Short version:

Using a split config, what is the appropriate way to set or modify
variables such as CHECK_RCPT_VERIFY_SENDER, CHECK_RCPT_REVERSE_DNS,  and
MAIN_TRUSTED_USERS?  If there are several ways (e.g., with or without
debconf), what is the recommended alternative?  I find the documentation
confusing.


Long version:

I just upgraded to exim4-config (4.50-6).  Manually merging in changes
caused me to look at some of the split config files I use, and I notice
a lot of things like
.ifndef MAIN_TRUSTED_USERS
MAIN_TRUSTED_USERS = uucp
.endif
trusted_users = MAIN_TRUSTED_USERS.
In particular, I made manual tweaks that seem now to be related to
CHECK_RCPT_VERIFY_SENDER
CHECK_RCPT_REVERSE_DNS
MAIN_TRUSTED_USERS

What is the appropriate way to set these variables?  At first I thought
debconf manages them, but after reading the docs I suspect I should edit
exim4.conf.template.  Is that correct?

Hmm, I just
noticed /etc/exim4/conf.d/main/01_exim4-config_listmacrosdefs and the
other stuff in main/.  Maybe I should tweak there (in fact, one of the
changes I had made was to 02_exim4-config_options)?  But not all the
variables seem present.

The reason I'm not sure is that several pieces of documentation seem to
say that exim4.conf.template is not used if the configuration is split.
/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.
But later README.Debian says
"Our packages offer two ... possibilities:

#1 Generate exim's configuration from /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template
#2 Generate exim's configuration from the multiple files in
   /etc/exim4/conf.d/." 
which sounds as if it's one or the other, but not both.  Similarly,
"Depending on the value of dc_use_split_config, it either
- takes all the files below /etc/exim4/conf.d/ and concatenates
  them together or
- uses exim4.conf.template as input."

The man page update-exim4.conf.8 says (sorry about the wrapping)
  The  script  update-exim4.conf  generates  the main configuration
files
  ... by merging the data  in
  the  template  file  /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template  or the ones in
the
  /etc/exim4/conf.d      directory      tree       respectively
and
  /etc/exim4/update-exim4.conf.conf      to      the      output
file
  /var/lib/exim4/config.autogenerated.
  Depending    on    the    setting     of     dc_use_split_config
in
  /etc/exim4/update-exim4.conf.conf  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,
con-
  catenates them and replaces  the  patterns  DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF
or
  only   replaces   the   patterns   DEBCONFsomethingDEBCONF   listed
in
  /etc/exim4/exim4.conf.template."
Again, this sounds as if it's one or the other.

I also have some feedback: I had trouble finding the files mentioned
above.  When I started with my question about where the variables were
set, I went to /usr/share/doc/exim4-config.  Nothing.  Poking around, I
found exim4.conf.template, which pointed me at the doc in exim4-base.
exim4.conf.template also includes comments describing the role of this
file, but I wasn't sure what they meant (particularly after I looked at
the other docs).

I also initially missed that exim4.conf.template and
update-exim4.conf.conf were different files (yes, it seems obvious now),
which further confused me.

Finally, the pattern in which there are DEBCONF vars, DC vars, and dc
vars is also confusing to me, as is the order of which overrides which.

-- 
Ross Boylan                                      wk:  (415) 502-4031
530 Parnassus Avenue (Library) rm 115-4          ross@biostat.ucsf.edu
Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics           fax: (415) 476-9856
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA 94143-0840                     hm:  (415) 550-1062