Reloading confs

[Greg Borders]

James L. Day wrote:
> Greg Borders wrote:
>   
>> Logan Shaw wrote:
>>     
>>>> You shouldn't ever start sendmail (or restart sendmail) - you should
>>>> only restart MailScanner which in turns stops/starts sendmail for you.
>>>>         
>>> <snip>
>>> I've never really understood this.
>>> <snip>
>>> So is there something I'm missing?  Is there a reason why it
>>> is the way it is?
>>>
>>>   - Logan
>>>       
>> This is one of the single most common things I've seen when dealing
>> with folks that are new to MailScanner.
>> I too had to struggle with the logic of it at first.  The thing of it
>> is, it's a real change from the way you would expect it to work.
>> Typically you would think, "I have my MTA and it does all the mail
>> work, sending / recieving etc. as a service, running happily in the
>> background."
>> "Then I have my virus scanner, it does the same, scans all activity
>> for files getting saved."
>> So here's MailScanner, it should follow the same logic, and just run
>> and flag all the e-mails that come and go as a service like the others.
>>
>> That's the fatal flaw in the thinking.  MailScanner isn't just another
>> service.  It's a way of life for e-mail. By adding MailScanner to your
>> systems, you are taking the services you know and trust, and turning
>> them over to a caretaker to do it for you, and it does it better. A
>> lot better.
>>
>> Since MailScanner is now "in control", you turn off the standalone
>> services.  Sendmail/Postfix/Exim/Etc. daemons are stopped.  Virus
>> checkers are stopped.
>> All is quiet on the server, and then you fire up the MailScanner
>> service.  It is now the conductor of your e-mail orchestra, and calls
>> upon the other programs as needed, to get the job done.
>>
>> This is my take on the flow of programs within a properly setup
>> MailScanner system:
>> MailScanner fires up instances of the MTA, waiting for messages to
>> arrive. AKA "Children"
>> MailScanner fires up instances of the MTA, waiting for messages to be
>> sent.
>> MailScanner fires off a slew of tasks once messages arrive.
>> A batch of them are ready, MailScanner runs them thru spamassassin.
>> Now any that didn't get flagged, are scanned for viruses with the
>> ClamAV for example, (or more if you want).
>> Then they are delivered/stored/etc. all based upon the settings in the
>> .conf file with another MTA child.
>>
>> Whether users send messages out, or receive them, they go thru the
>> same steps, and the are delivered by MailScanner via the tools that
>> are wired into it.
>>
>> Julian has cooked up the very clever system that calls upon many
>> external pieces to perform at the times needed, and has created the
>> best most flexable open e-mail filtering system on the market. We can
>> use many MTA's, many virus scanners, many spam scanners, and still
>> have room for custom functions to do even more if we want.
>>
>> Take a look at the administrators guide, the first figure "MailScanner
>> Process Flow".  That will make it crystal clear on the total path, and
>> number of tests MailScanner actually performs.
>>
>> It's a wonderful concept, once you can wrap your brain around the idea
>> that MailScanner is more than just an add on service. Bolt on Steve's
>> Mailwatch and you have more than most e-mail admins can dream about. ^__^
>>
>> Greg. Borders
>> Sys. Admin.
>> JLC Co.
> I like having the startup/shutdown scripts separated. If I want to make
> a change to MailScanner, I can shut it down while Sendmail continues to
> run.  I find myself continually jacking with MailScanner and seldom do I
> mess with Sendmail.  Yes, MailScanner is a necessary part of the e-mail
> process, but I see no reason to tie it into the running of  Sendmail or
> any other MTA.
>
> I have my Sendmail checking against local RBL's and that stops about 90%
> of the junk.  I can afford to let Sendmail accept messages while I have
> MailScanner shut down.  If you're letting MailScanner do the RBL
> lookups, perhaps you can't.
>
> Lynn

What might be better in your case then, would be to use the additional 
service directives in the init.d script:

Usage: service MailScanner 
{start|stop|status|restart|reload|startin|startout|stopms}

You can issue commands that will start/stop any portion of the mail 
stream you like.
By design MailScanner is meant to replace the entire mail process.  No 
need to separate anything unless you really want to.

But again, you aren't tyeing MailScanner into the MTA, you are replacing 
the control of the MTA with MailScanner.
MailScanner creates the MTA children with specific commands that limit 
their scope, and kills them off itself and spawns new ones as needed to 
balance the load of messages that are flowing.  By having the MTA 
functioning outside of the MS process, you are bypassing a core 
component of it's design.

But it's a open e-mail universe, and you can process data any way you 
see fit. :)

Greg. Borders
Sys. Admin.
JLC Co.


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