Currently exim will run as non root if you don't need to bind the smtp
port (and don't need root for anything else like local deliveries
performed by exim).
If you do run exim as non root and need smtp support you have to have exim
started by inetd with the consequent lack of internal consistency (ie
load/session limits don't really work).
An alternative would be to have another mode where inetd starts exim in
wait mode (as opposed to nowait), and exim then takes all future
connections to that port. This mode is used by bootp, identd and the like
to have the advantages of an apparently continuously running daemon (quick
pickup), to not need root access, and inetd restarts the daemon on the
next connection should it snuff it!
[Also all these daemons have a die on inactivity mode]
I think support for this could be useful for exim.
What do others think....?
[I could probably implement it myself if you wish - I have already coded
this for a couple of other daemons, long ago]
Nigel.
--
[ Nigel.Metheringham@??? - Systems Software Engineer ]
[ Tel : +44 113 251 6012 Fax : +44 113 224 0003 ]
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