Sendmail used to automatically compare creation dates of the text and database aliases files and when the text one was newer than the database one, sendmail would automatically update the database file at a convenient time. This made a lot of sense. However, the powers that be decided to break this great feature and removed it. I copied it back into to source we use.
Brent L. Bates wrote:
Sendmail used to automatically compare creation dates of the text anddatabase aliases files and when the text one was newer than the database one, sendmail would automatically update the database file at a convenient time. This made a lot of sense. However, the powers that be decided to break this great feature and removed it. I copied it back into to source we use.
This isn't exactly a source change. Just uncomment the line: dnl define(`confAUTO_REBUILD')dnl (by removing the leading dnl) in /etc/mail/sendmail.mc and restart sendmail.
on 4-2-2008 4:41 AM Brent L. Bates spake the following:
Sendmail used to automatically compare creation dates of the text anddatabase aliases files and when the text one was newer than the database one, sendmail would automatically update the database file at a convenient time. This made a lot of sense. However, the powers that be decided to break this great feature and removed it. I copied it back into to source we use.
Many newer distros add that functionality to the init scripts. I seem to recall that option had some bad side effects, and that is why sendmail removed it. I wish I could remember what the problem was.
Real simple answer, switch to Postfix and dump sendmail. Then edit your alias file to add the aliases, run newaliases and you're done...
john
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Scott Silva wrote:
on 4-2-2008 4:41 AM Brent L. Bates spake the following:
Sendmail used to automatically compare creation dates of thetext and database aliases files and when the text one was newer than the database one, sendmail would automatically update the database file at a convenient time. This made a lot of sense. However, the powers that be decided to break this great feature and removed it. I copied it back into to source we use.
Many newer distros add that functionality to the init scripts. I seem to recall that option had some bad side effects, and that is why sendmail removed it. I wish I could remember what the problem was.
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John Plemons wrote:
Real simple answer, switch to Postfix and dump sendmail. Then edit your alias file to add the aliases, run newaliases and you're done...
I just don't understand why people still gripe about Sendmail. Yeah, it was a force to be reckoned with in the early days, but it's stupid simple to configure these days, and it's pretty much the default in most *nix distributions. Aside from some folks being intimidated by the thought of mc files and running m4, it's pretty much *as simple* to configure as Postfix.
If Postfix works for you, hey great, you're free to run whatever you want. Telling someone to switch MTAs in the context of "how do I restore previous functionality in a program I choose to use" is not very constructive.
Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but just had to say something.
Regards, Chris
On Wed, 2 Apr 2008, Chris Miller wrote:
John Plemons wrote:
Real simple answer, switch to Postfix and dump sendmail. Then edit your alias file to add the aliases, run newaliases and you're done...
I just don't understand why people still gripe about Sendmail. Yeah, it was a force to be reckoned with in the early days, but it's stupid simple to configure these days, and it's pretty much the default in most *nix distributions. Aside from some folks being intimidated by the thought of mc files and running m4, it's pretty much *as simple* to configure as Postfix.
+1
Preach it, bro!
Having used and configured both Send mail and Postfix, sendmail was and had it's issues. I found it much easier to work with on Open Relays for example, the draw back with Sendmail and Postfix may be along the lines of Windows and a Mac, there are bunches of Windows machines in the world so every little hacker writes viruses for them. There are very few Mac Viruses...
I'm sure there are more people writing hacks and cracks to break into sendmail more so than Postfix, so in the scheme of things Postfix may just be a better choice. Like Mozilla over IE... Thunderbird over Outlook....
Not a flame, just a thought....
john plemons
Chris Miller wrote:
John Plemons wrote:
Real simple answer, switch to Postfix and dump sendmail. Then edit your alias file to add the aliases, run newaliases and you're done...
I just don't understand why people still gripe about Sendmail. Yeah, it was a force to be reckoned with in the early days, but it's stupid simple to configure these days, and it's pretty much the default in most *nix distributions. Aside from some folks being intimidated by the thought of mc files and running m4, it's pretty much *as simple* to configure as Postfix.
If Postfix works for you, hey great, you're free to run whatever you want. Telling someone to switch MTAs in the context of "how do I restore previous functionality in a program I choose to use" is not very constructive.
Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but just had to say something.
Regards, Chris _______________________________________________ CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
John Plemons wrote:
Having used and configured both Send mail and Postfix, sendmail was and had it's issues. I found it much easier to work with on Open Relays for example, the draw back with Sendmail and Postfix may be along the lines of Windows and a Mac, there are bunches of Windows machines in the world so every little hacker writes viruses for them. There are very few Mac Viruses... I'm sure there are more people writing hacks and cracks to break into sendmail more so than Postfix, so in the scheme of things Postfix may just be a better choice. Like Mozilla over IE... Thunderbird over Outlook....
Sure, but to be fair Sendmail was essentially the first. There haven't been any security issues in a while, and the last few were not as significant as the issues prior to 12.X when the submit thing was added. I think any of the MTAs are subject to hacking, the source for all is available. The hard core hackers seem to have all grown up, all I see these days is script kiddies in China trying to run dictionaries against the root account. Even the Windows virus stuff seems to have died off as of late.
Yes, there are the purists like the Qmail folks that believe that Sendmail is fundamentally flawed. Having dealt with both, I'm still a Sendmail fan and refuse to run Qmail because :
* The documentation is absolutely horrid to this day. * The logging is equally as horrid, and I shouldn't need Splunk to make heads or tails of an email transaction. * It's arguably more difficult to configure and tweak than Sendmail (i.e. Oh, I need double-bounce too? and Hey, so-n-so wrote a plugin for this. It's similar to this other guy's plugin but different.)
As for Postfix, I don't recall having heard anything good or bad about it from a security perspective. Then again, I don't have time to read mailing lists, I blame Thunderbird for seeing your original posting in the little pop-up window by the sys-tray ;-)
Like Qmail, it's setup to be a drop-in replacement for Sendmail (same CLI options, etc). Most people I know that run Postfix adopted it when Sendmail was still somewhat difficult to work with, during the transition to using m4 exclusively and adding the submit queue. Difficult meaning you had to read the docs fairly well before expecting it to work. Having run an ISP, learning this was sort of a coming of age thing.
One thing I do like about Postfix is the LDAP/SQL support, that is very cool. If I was approached to do something along those lines and Postfix proved to be the right tool, I'd use it in a second for that project.
Anyway, blah blah blah. It's almost Beer:30. Happy Wednesday everyone ;-)
Regards, Chris
on 4-2-2008 1:46 PM Chris Miller spake the following:
John Plemons wrote:
Real simple answer, switch to Postfix and dump sendmail. Then edit your alias file to add the aliases, run newaliases and you're done...
I just don't understand why people still gripe about Sendmail. Yeah, it was a force to be reckoned with in the early days, but it's stupid simple to configure these days, and it's pretty much the default in most *nix distributions. Aside from some folks being intimidated by the thought of mc files and running m4, it's pretty much *as simple* to configure as Postfix.
If Postfix works for you, hey great, you're free to run whatever you want. Telling someone to switch MTAs in the context of "how do I restore previous functionality in a program I choose to use" is not very constructive.
Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but just had to say something.
Regards, Chris
I was biting my tongue also. I even had a page long reply typed up, but decided instead to hit delete and go on to other things.
I still say that the tool you are most familiar with is the tool you should use.
Scott Silva wrote:
on 4-2-2008 4:41 AM Brent L. Bates spake the following:
Sendmail used to automatically compare creation dates of the textand database aliases files and when the text one was newer than the database one, sendmail would automatically update the database file at a convenient time. This made a lot of sense. However, the powers that be decided to break this great feature and removed it. I copied it back into to source we use.
Many newer distros add that functionality to the init scripts. I seem to recall that option had some bad side effects, and that is why sendmail removed it. I wish I could remember what the problem was.
Just guessing, it probably relates to the gazillion ways unix-like systems have of locking files that tend not to work and the fact that concurrent sendmail instances are a lot more likely to conflict than a user typing 'newaliases'.
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Brent L. Bates -
Chris Miller -
John Plemons -
Les Mikesell -
Paul Heinlein -
Scott Silva