Re: [Exim] Can't Start Exim

On (2003/11/27 19:52), Bill Hacker wrote:

> >If so, it changes the way I view the problems you're having. My job
> > is to make the port work when used as intended, and I take that
> >quite seriously. If you want to poke around with the way it works,
> >you're more than welcome to do so, but then don't feel I have to
> >worry so much when it breaks for you.
> >
>
> That particular change has FA to do with the problem.
>
> The problem was twofold:
>
> 1) The port expects a pre-existing sendmail installation (enabled or
> NOT) - with the relevant directory structures and files, to wit:
> /etc/mail/<mailer.conf and so on>

Okay, maybe I'm totally missing the plot here, but I'll respond as I
can. :-)

I don't understand why you think your changes to your system have
nothing to do with this problem (the one listed as number 1 above).

All the sendmail-compatible MTA ports for FreeBSD expect /etc/mail to
exist. They do so because they expect /etc/mail/mailer.conf to exist.
This file has nothing to do with sendmail; it configures mailwrapper(8),
which is BSD's sendmail-compatible MTA selector.

FreeBSD needs an MTA to handle local mail. That's what
/etc/mail/aliases is about.

Given what I've said above, I hope you can see why I disagree that "the
port expects a pre-existing sendmail installation).

If you delete /etc/mail/mailer.conf, then ignore the POST-INSTALL-NOTES
from the Exim port that tell you to "Adjust mailer.conf(5) as
appropriate", I don't feel to bad about your Exim installation failing.
:-)

> These did not exist on my box.
>
> After reinstalling sendmail, then disabling it, Exim installed correctly.

If reinstalling sendmail installed /etc/mail/mailer.conf and
/etc/mail/aliases, then that would work, yes.

> 2) For reasons still not clear, on the first go 'round, 'rc.subr' was
> not installed *anywhere*.

Someone has suggested that dependency installation failures are ignored
by the ports tree if the port directory for the dependency doesn't
exist. That sucks.

If that's what happened in your case, then you either checked out a
partial ports tree, or deleted bits of it after a full checkout.

To ensure this doesn't happen in future with a partial ports tree,
consider using ports/devel/portcheckout to cleanly check out
dependencies as needed.

> ...as root:wheel the command "/<wherever>/exim.sh stop" succeeds in
> terminating exim, but throws an error .."check the pid file"
> ...and leaves the file /var/run/exim.pid in place.

I've never seen that error message, either in -CURRENT or -STABLE.

Regardless, it's now obvious to both of us that this is a port issue.
Therefore, it would be better discussed off the exim-users mailing list.

That's why I replied to you in private, by the way. :-)

If you wish to discuss the FreeBSD port-specific aspects of this issue
further, please do so off-list.

Ciao,
Sheldon.