Re: [exim] Exim4 delay at boot

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Author: sawbona
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] Exim4 delay at boot
Hello:

On 13 Nov 2021 at 16:35, Jeremy Harris via Exim-users wrote:

> On 13/11/2021 15:50, JHM via Exim-users wrote:
> > IPv6 socket creation failed: Address family not supported by protocol


> Inferring that the system as a whole has no ipv6 support would be a bit of a step.

Unless, as is this specific case, all the necessary steps to disable IPv6 have been taken.

See: https://lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20211112.211353.fde57a1f.en.html

IPv6 is explicitly disabled on the host system at the kernel command line, at the /etc/hosts file
and the /etc/ssh/ssh_config file.

The virtual machine running the DNS on the host system is configured in the very same
manner and the ADSL router also has it's IPv6 capacity administratively disabled.

So, there's no IPv6 in the system or anywhere near it because I disabled it.
No inferring so no step. <- just "taking the piss", so to speak. =^)

Exim makes a call when it starts up and sits there waiting to get an answer that it will not
receive for the reasons stated above.

Why does it do that?

Because it installed with IPv6 enabled by default.

By adding a line to disable it in exim4.conf.template the problem was no longer a problem.
The 30s delay was no more and I had no more /var/log/exim4/paniclog entries.

> We could use some way of enquiring of the system ...

Sure ...

Check the kernel command line when installing and see if there's a ipv6.disable=1 stanza in
it.
That would be more than enough.

Or ask at installation time if IPv6 should be enabled.

> ... and flip the default for the disable_ipv6 option.

Like I suggested in a previous post:

Add the line I *had* to add to the 'Main' section of the
file exim4.conf.template:

[code]
disable_ipv6 = true
[/code]

It is not there.

ie: not disable_ipv6 = false, disable_ipv6 = true or even disable_ipv6 = with an empty value
so it would be an option to fill in when running dpkg-reconfigure exim4-config.

> ... not aware if there is any such method.

Neither am I.

I'm just a desktop end user who came across a problem and asked about it here.

> ... be aware that Exim run on, and has to be built and tested for,
> not only other Linux distros but also other non-Linux Unixes.

Of course.

> Or, as has been suggested, the Debian installer could do ...

The Debian chaps won't do absolutely anyhing about this.

> Cheers,

Same to you.

Thanks a lot for your input.
Have a good week-end.

Best,