I started using Debian about 7 years ago and I have always logged in as root. This worked fine until I had to upgrade to Exim4. To be able receive local mail I had to create another user and direct the root mail to it, then create /etc/procmailrc using a symlink from ~/.procmailrc. This worked fine until I decided to remove the Smartlist package. Now local mail is is still delivered, but /etc/procmailrc is not checked. Smartlist never used the exim config, so I don''t why removing it causes a problem. I have already searched this list and read the documentation, but so far I have not found a solution. I just barely understood Exim3 and the Exim4 config file is much more confusing, so I don''t hold out much hope of figuring this out myself. It seems like my only option is to reinstall Smartlist, but I hope there''s some other way. What need is to have procmail parse the local mail, so it can be delivered to other mailboxes in /var/mail. Is there some workaround that would enable me receive local mail as the root user? I am using Debian stable and can''t compile from source. Larry
On Friday 03 November 2006 22:04, Larry Fletcher took the opportunity to say:> I started using Debian about 7 years ago and I have always logged in > as root.You will probably hear this from many, but why are you foregoing the extra security a real operating system gives you when you do your everyday work as an unprivileged user? Always logging in as root is like running Windows 95. Microsoft just recently made a decent effort encouraging users to create a normal user account on installation. The Debian installer urges you to create an unprivileged account and has probably always done so.> This worked fine until I had to upgrade to Exim4. To be > able receive local mail I had to create another user and direct the > root mail to it, then create /etc/procmailrc using a symlink from > ~/.procmailrc. This worked fine until I decided to remove the > Smartlist package. Now local mail is is still delivered, but > /etc/procmailrc is not checked. Smartlist never used the exim config, > so I don''t why removing it causes a problem.Exim 4 never delivers mail as root. That''s a compilation setting, so you can''t change it without recompiling. But you can give the other user write permission to root''s mailbox and have Exim or procmail deliver it there. But I wouldn''t recommend it. Why /etc/procmailrc isn''t read any more is a bit of a mystery and can''t be determined without more information, I think. But I know that smartlist is procmail-based. Have you customised your Exim configuration? What else can you say about /etc/procmailrc and ~/.procmailrc?> [...] > > I am using Debian stable and can''t compile from source.Why not? If it''s because of lack of knowledge, that problem can be solved. But again, I wouldn''t recommend it (meaning, I do recommend learning things, but I don''t recommend always running as root). -- Magnus Holmgren holmgren@lysator.liu.se (No Cc of list mail needed, thanks) -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 189 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/pkg-exim4-users/attachments/20061104/943b7a09/attachment.pgp
On Nov 04, 2006, Magnus Holmgren wrote:> On Friday 03 November 2006 22:04, Larry Fletcher took the opportunity to say: > > I started using Debian about 7 years ago and I have always logged in > > as root. > > You will probably hear this from many, but why are you foregoing the > extra security a real operating system gives you when you do your > everyday work as an unprivileged user? Always logging in as root is > like running Windows 95. Microsoft just recently made a decent > effort encouraging users to create a normal user account on > installation. The Debian installer urges you to create an > unprivileged account and has probably always done so.There are a number of reasons, but the bottom line is it''s a lot easier. At least I thought it was a lot easier when I started using Debian and it seems like too much trouble to change it now when everything is working so well. But if other packages go the way of exim I''ll be forced to change.> > This worked fine until I had to upgrade to Exim4. To be > > able receive local mail I had to create another user and direct the > > root mail to it, then create /etc/procmailrc using a symlink from > > ~/.procmailrc. This worked fine until I decided to remove the > > Smartlist package. Now local mail is is still delivered, but > > /etc/procmailrc is not checked. Smartlist never used the exim config, > > so I don''t why removing it causes a problem. > > Exim 4 never delivers mail as root. That''s a compilation setting, so > you can''t change it without recompiling. But you can give the other > user write permission to root''s mailbox and have Exim or procmail > deliver it there. But I wouldn''t recommend it.I added the user to the root group, but I don''t know what to do beyond that. However exim still doesn''t use /etc/procmailrc and that''s the big problem.> Why /etc/procmailrc isn''t read any more is a bit of a mystery and > can''t be determined without more information, I think. But I know > that smartlist is procmail-based. Have you customised your Exim > configuration? What else can you say about /etc/procmailrc and > ~/.procmailrc?/etc/procmailrc was a link to ~/.procmailrc, but I don''t think that''s a problem because it would show up in the logs. And there was nothing related to smartlist in the exim config. I couldn''t find any change to system when I removed smartlist, but obviously something did change. It seems very strange to me that there is no way to get exim to use /etc/procmailrc now, even though that''s the default in the config file.> > I am using Debian stable and can''t compile from source. > > Why not? If it''s because of lack of knowledge, that problem can be > solved. But again, I wouldn''t recommend it (meaning, I do recommend > learning things, but I don''t recommend always running as root).I thought about mentioning the lack of knowledge, but decided it was obvious. :-) I wish there was some way to make it work by just changing the exim config file, but it doesn''t look like that will happen. However after working all day yesterday and today I finally did get it work the way I want without making too many changes. And I think it''s better than reinstalling smartlist, because that was really bugging me. I wasn''t expecting a response, so thanks for trying to help! Larry
On Fri, Nov 03, 2006 at 07:51:46PM -0800, Larry Fletcher wrote:> On Nov 04, 2006, Magnus Holmgren wrote: > > On Friday 03 November 2006 22:04, Larry Fletcher took the opportunity to say: > > > I started using Debian about 7 years ago and I have always logged in > > > as root. > > > > You will probably hear this from many, but why are you foregoing the > > extra security a real operating system gives you when you do your > > everyday work as an unprivileged user? Always logging in as root is > > like running Windows 95. Microsoft just recently made a decent > > effort encouraging users to create a normal user account on > > installation. The Debian installer urges you to create an > > unprivileged account and has probably always done so. > > There are a number of reasons, but the bottom line is it''s a lot > easier.It is still a stupid idea, and I am opposed to modifying the exim packages in a way to allow you to shoot yourself in the foot.> At least I thought it was a lot easier when I started using Debian > and it seems like too much trouble to change it now when everything > is working so well. But if other packages go the way of exim I''ll > be forced to change.Changing this mode of operation is a wise idea.> > > This worked fine until I had to upgrade to Exim4. To be > > > able receive local mail I had to create another user and direct the > > > root mail to it, then create /etc/procmailrc using a symlink from > > > ~/.procmailrc. This worked fine until I decided to remove the > > > Smartlist package. Now local mail is is still delivered, but > > > /etc/procmailrc is not checked. Smartlist never used the exim config, > > > so I don''t why removing it causes a problem. > > > > Exim 4 never delivers mail as root. That''s a compilation setting, so > > you can''t change it without recompiling. But you can give the other > > user write permission to root''s mailbox and have Exim or procmail > > deliver it there. But I wouldn''t recommend it. > > I added the user to the root group, but I don''t know what to > do beyond that. However exim still doesn''t use /etc/procmailrc > and that''s the big problem.Both exim 3 and exim4 just call /usr/bin/procmail while running as the target user, and according to the procmail manpage (I have never used procmail), procmail always reads /etc/procmail as kind of system-wide default before accessing ~/.procmailrc. So, I guess that you have a procmail issue here if it does not read /etc/procmail before ~/.procmail. No idea why this issue has surfaced during your exim migration. Maybe somebody else who is more familiar with procmail can comment here.> > Why /etc/procmailrc isn''t read any more is a bit of a mystery and > > can''t be determined without more information, I think. But I know > > that smartlist is procmail-based. Have you customised your Exim > > configuration? What else can you say about /etc/procmailrc and > > ~/.procmailrc? > > /etc/procmailrc was a link to ~/.procmailrc,Why? /etc/procmailrc seems to be always read before ~/.procmailrc, thus linking one to the other is probably only redefining things.> It seems very strange to me that there is no way to get exim to > use /etc/procmailrc now, even though that''s the default in the > config file.No exim version I am aware of has ever accessed /etc/procmailrc directly. All exim does is piping messages to a procmail process.> > > I am using Debian stable and can''t compile from source. > > > > Why not? If it''s because of lack of knowledge, that problem can be > > solved. But again, I wouldn''t recommend it (meaning, I do recommend > > learning things, but I don''t recommend always running as root). > > I thought about mentioning the lack of knowledge, but decided it > was obvious. :-)Before you compile exim from source, better get acquainted with its configuration and the UNIX privilege system.> I wish there was some way to make it work by just changing the exim > config file, but it doesn''t look like that will happen.You could make your mail spool (I do not know which format you use) writeable for your non-root user, or you can configure your mail client running as root (YUCK!!!) to access a file that is not root''s mail spool but the mail spool of a different user.> I wasn''t expecting a response, so thanks for trying to help!The most valueable help you get is "do not work as root". Greetings Marc -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marc Haber | "I don''t trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header Mannheim, Germany | lose things." Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834 Nordisch by Nature | How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 621 72739835
On Nov 04, 2006, Marc Haber wrote:> > On Nov 04, 2006, Magnus Holmgren wrote: > > > On Friday 03 November 2006 22:04, Larry Fletcher took the opportunity to say: > > > > This worked fine until I had to upgrade to Exim4. To be able > > > > to receive local mail I had to create another user and direct the > > > > root mail to it, then create /etc/procmailrc using a symlink from > > > > ~/.procmailrc. This worked fine until I decided to remove the > > > > Smartlist package. Now local mail is is still delivered, but > > > > /etc/procmailrc is not checked. Smartlist never used the exim > > > > config, so I don''t why removing it causes a problem. > > > > > > Exim 4 never delivers mail as root. That''s a compilation setting, so > > > you can''t change it without recompiling. But you can give the other > > > user write permission to root''s mailbox and have Exim or procmail > > > deliver it there. But I wouldn''t recommend it. > > > Both exim 3 and exim4 just call /usr/bin/procmail while running as the > target user, and according to the procmail manpage (I have never used > procmail), procmail always reads /etc/procmail as kind of system-wide > default before accessing ~/.procmailrc. So, I guess that you have a > procmail issue here if it does not read /etc/procmail before > ~/.procmail. No idea why this issue has surfaced during your exim > migration. Maybe somebody else who is more familiar with procmail can > comment here.When smartlist was removed, fetchmail/procmail continued to filter the mail correctly, but exim/procmail stopped filtering the local mail. So I thought the problem was with exim. To get it working again, all I had to do was change the group permissions on ''/etc/procmailrc'' and ''/var/mail''. Of course, this only applies to my way of doing things. Thanks! Larry