Configuration suggestion...

[Jules Field]

I don't quite see what that would achieve that the 
upgrade_MailScanner_conf doesn't.
I don't entirely understand your point, sorry.

On 10/08/2009 18:42, Michael H. Warfield wrote:
> Hey all, Julian,
>
> 	I was just in the process of upgrading MailScanner on several machines
> and had been doing a few other similar things to some other packages and
> had a thought regarding the configuration file.  Right now, we use the
> configuration upgrade script and some diffing and what not (I'm on an
> rpm based system - Fedora 10).
>
> 	Maybe this has been brought up in the past and dismissed and maybe
> there are good reasons for not doing it or may it can be done, I just
> don't know how...  But...  What about a separate, site specific,
> configuration file?  Keep the main file with all the default options but
> then have the admin put customized options in a separate file and not
> modify the main file?
>
> 	Several other packages I know do it this way and it makes updating so
> much easier and less error prone.  The main file would then have
> instructions to put customized values into the site file while it still
> retains all the possible options and their defaults and the detailed
> instructions.  The admin can make the site file as complex or as simple
> as he likes.  Updates then merely require a check that the main file has
> not been alter and then a simple replacement.  Value checks and warnings
> could still be applied but then it would be to both the main and site
> specific file.  Maybe make the configuration file(s) a colon separated
> string, like a PATH, with the last value read from any of them holding
> precedence.
>
> 	Yes, there is the possibility that the user might have some
> incompatible option in a site file that could cause a version skew
> problem.  Given the normal tunable parameters, this would seem pretty
> unlikely and could be caught in the update check for default files.
>
> 	It would certainly make packaging for a distribution much easier and
> updates much more convenient for the system administrator.
>
> 	Just a thought.
>
> 	Regards,
> 	Mike
>    

Jules

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