Re: Moving to Debian server. (Re)Visiting the Postfix or Exim decision. Asking for Debian-ites' opinions.
On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:00 PM, <patk.1034@sent.as> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> We're evaluating our company's future server platform, and are pretty
> much decided on Debian.
At some companies, this would be regarded a miracle to achieve.
I'm glad it worked out for you.
> I notice that Debian has settled on Exim as the default MTA, unlike many
> (most?) other distros which seem to use Postfix.
Most systems need some sort of mailer, at least to get the system
messages relayed to another address the sysadmins use. For this
minimal purpose, sendmail would do just as well. I'd imagine
this is what most people using the default Exim are happy
with - not mail MX or SMTP duties, but simple relay or
local mail duties. Of course there are sites using Exim fully,
but the majority of exim use in Debian will be minimal features.
At our shop, we always install postfix immediately after Debian install.
It triggers an uninstall of exim4 and we're happy with this. Perhaps
if it wasn't this easy to substitute, there would be more of an outcry,
but Debian is all about choices, so you pick what you want.
In Debian you are driving a car - you can get to many
destinations easily. In other distros you are riding a train
(quickly goes only to destinations they lay track to access)
+ walking (can't easily get package from limited repository,
compile from source). It can take a little getting used to
the difference of finding your own way versus going along
with what the distro provided.
Postfix is what we use on our MX and SMTP systems, so we know it.
Like many, use the well trodden path of clamav, amavisd-new and postfix.
I don't know of anyone who was sorry they went with Postfix.
The responses on the postfix mailing list can be terse and
pithy, but they do fully address your questions if you ask
well documented questions, and the RTFM references are
always very precise to one's needs. When Wietse answers,
it is like Linus Torvalds answered your questions
on kernel compiling. You don't expect him to spend too
much of his day on you, but you're glad he did, even if it was
to smack some sense into you.
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