[Exim] panic logs, not good ! (was: Customizing warning mess…

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Author: Richard P. Groenewegen
Date:  
To: exim-users
Old-Topics: Re: [Exim] Customizing warning messages
Subject: [Exim] panic logs, not good ! (was: Customizing warning messages)
On Sat, Aug 12, 2000 at 03:20:09PM +0200, Richard P. Groenewegen wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 12, 2000 at 02:19:38PM +0200, Richard P. Groenewegen wrote:
> > these warning messages (`Customizing warning messages') but what I
> > don't know is how to set the interval after which warning messages are
> > created.
>
> Oops, sorry about that. I found it in the manual. Don't shoot me.


This was a disaster: I put a line `delay_warning = 24h:1000h' (on its
own line) in the main configuration section. Then I did `eximconfig -i'
and everything seemed to be fine. I've lost my paranoia a bit, so
I didn't perform any tests.

After less than an hour I noticed I didn't receive any more mail
anymore. I performed two test messages from a remote computer and I
didn't receive them. The paniclog says:

            2000-08-12 20:38:01 Exim configuration error
              transport name missing in line 140
            ...
            2000-08-12 21:19:00 Exim configuration error
              transport name missing in line 140


        (17 entries total)


I immediately removed line 140 and everything worked again. After
about a half an hour I received the test messages from the secondary
mail backup. So, I guess, everything is fine now.

My questions are:

  - what did I do wrong technically?  As I said, I just added the line
    delay_warning = 24:1000h at the end of the main configuration
    section.
  - what did I do wrong procedurally?  Maybe a few test messages
    couldn't hurt, but why didn't I get any response that something
    was wrong when I did `eximconfig -i'?  What precautions should I
    take when editing exim.conf?
  - why does such a small error (in my mind) have such serious
    consequences?  Why does exim not accept the messages and freeze
    them or something?  An entry in the paniclog and otherwise not a
    shred of evidence as to what host was connecting is not very
    elegant.


regards,

Richard (my signature seems to be really about me)
--
It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a
warning to others.