MailScanner v5 standardization

Jerry Benton jerry.benton at mailborder.com
Mon Apr 25 06:49:29 UTC 2016


One more …

I will be removing the start/stop/restart links to postfix/exim/sendmail, etc within the MailScanner init script. The init script will control MailScanner and MailScanner only. As far I know, this should have no impact on sendmail/exim/postfix operation. From that I mean, “service sendmail restart” should have both the in and out processes restarted without issue. There is no need for MailScanner to start and stop them. I know for a fact this has no impact on using MailScanner with Postfix.

Correct me if I am wrong about Sendmail or Exim. 

-
Jerry Benton
www.mailborder.com



> On Apr 25, 2016, at 2:31 AM, Jerry Benton <jerry.benton at mailborder.com> wrote:
> 
> So I am working v5 now. I am trying to standardize everything across all NIX platforms. Apparently, we all can’t get along.
> 
> 
> -- FHS layout
> 
> That /opt bullshit will be gone. This is the directory structure for every NIX:
> 
> /etc/MailScanner
> /usr/share/MailScanner
> /var/lib/MailScanner
> /var/spool/MailScanner
> 
> Symlinks will be provided in /etc/MailScanner for the following items:
> 
> Custom perl modules:
> /etc/MailScanner/custom -> /usr/share/MailScanner/perl/custom
> 
> Reports:
> /etc/MailScanner/reports ->/usr/share/MailScanner/reports
> 
> Same place. Every OS. Celebrate. 
> 
> 
> -- Basic config file
> 
> I have a dilemma regarding the /etc/defaults/mailscanner or /etc/sysconfig/mailscanner or on FreeBSD ... I have no idea. 
> 
> The point being they are in different places on each OS. So, I am more than likely going to do this unless someone has a VERY compelling reason not to do this:
> 
> /etc/MailScanner/defaults
> 
> 
> Same place. Every OS. Celebrate. 
> 
> 
> 
> -- init scripts
> 
> I am also coming across standardization issues on init scripts. Like everything else, no one can agree on anything. Debian uses "start-stop-daemon” and RHEL uses “daemon”. FreeBSD? No idea. The check_mailscanner script that checks to see if MailScanner is running and then starts it if it is not running uses MailScanner’s internal method of starting a daemon that is portable across all platforms. This is already in use on all packages on every OS. Very basic and very effective:
> 
> /usr/sbin/MailScanner /etc/MailScanner/MailScanner.conf
> 
> This starts the daemon using all of the settings from MailScanner.conf like “Run As User” and “PID File”. Life is easy and, more importantly, consistent. 
> 
> So unless someone has a VERY compelling reason for me to continue to try and Frankenstein a single init script to work on all platforms using the native methods, I am going to use the native MailScanner methods which will be a hell of a lot more predictable and consistent across all platforms.
> 
> 
> -- who’s on first?
> 
> Name every MailScanner executable. You probably can’t, because I can’t. So all of the executables (except the primary /usr/sbin/mailscanner) will now be like this:
> 
> ms-check
> ms-create-locks
> ms-peek
> ms-sa-cache
> 
> and so on …
> 
> If you want to know all of the MailScanner commands, type “ms-“ and hit tab and they all magically appear. Imagine that. Note that I do not care how compelling a reason you have not to do this. I am doing it. Deal. 
> 
> 
> -- cron jobs
> 
> There are a bunch of different cron jobs depending on what package you are using. Again, I am calling bullshit. One cron job in /etc/cron.hourly and one in /etc/cron.daily that each point to a single file in /usr/sbin. The file will read your cron options from /etc/MailScanner/defaults and will be called like this:
> 
> /usr/sbin/ms-cron hourly
> /usr/sbin/ms-cron daily
> 
> “hourly” runs your hourly cron jobs and “daily” runs your daily cron jobs. NIXs that have /etc/cron.hourly/ and /etc/cron.daily/ will have the appropriate scripts to fire the cron jobs placed in those directories. NIXs that don’t simply add the ms-cron commands to your crontab. 
> 
> 
> 
> Feel free to comment, but keep in mind MailScanner needs to be standardized. This will make development, bug tracking, packaging, and just about everything else a hell of a lot more manageable and cross-platform friendly. 
> 
> 
> -
> Jerry Benton
> www.mailborder.com
> 
> 
> 



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