Yikes! I think I get the picture. There is no easy way but to move
/var/spool/mail from one server to the other and then start squishing
bugs. Which I have done. Only a minor loopstorm...
Ben
On Wed, 30 Sep 1998, Nigel Metheringham wrote:
>
> ben@??? said:
> } Is it a "bad idea" to let more than one server append mail to a shared
> } NFS-mounted /var/spool/mail/user mail spool directory.?
>
> Assuming you are using a standard mbox format or other multiple mails per
> file approach (and also many single mails per file approach).
>
> Its not just bad. Its suicidal, stupid, unsafe and guaranteed to fail.
>
> Linux does not support inode locking over NFS in kernels 2.0.x (it should
> in 2.1.x but thats unstable). Dot locking is at best a work round, but
> fails sometimes, and *will* fail under load from several servers.
>
> If you use IMAP, then mount the spool locally and *only* IMAP access to it
> (other than exim delivery) - this is also a much cleaner model.
>
> [actually a single Linux box does self-lock consistantly on NFS]
>
> Nigel.
> --
> [ Nigel.Metheringham@??? - Systems Software Engineer ]
> [ Tel : +44 113 207 6112 Fax : +44 113 234 6065 ]
> [ Real life is but a pale imitation of a Dilbert strip ]
>
>
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