Re: Debian switchable MTA mechanism
On Tue 16 Feb 2021 at 17:48:25 (+0800), Kevin Shell wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 11:29:54AM +0200, Andrei POPESCU wrote:
> > On Ma, 16 feb 21, 16:37:20, Kevin Shell wrote:
> > > Why Debian does't have a switchable MTA mechanism
> > > to allow install multiple MTAs at the same time?
> >
> > Why do you need this?
>
> For convenience when one evaluating or learning
> between multiple MTAs etc.
I don't see the sense in that. It would seem far more sensible to
install one MTA on one host, another on another, and try
interoperating them. After all, that's how they'll ultimately
be used.
> > > Fedora, Centos etc. allow users to install multiple MTAs at the same
> > > multiple MTAs at the same time.
> > > There's a "alternatives --config mta" command
> > > to allow to choose between alternative MTA.
> >
> > Installing and removing/purging packages has traditionally been very
> > easy in Debian,
>
> removing/purging one MTA & reinstalling another MTA in the above
> situation is unnecessary and inconvenient.
I can't see that it's very inconvenient if you save your configuration
files before you change over.
> >such a mechanism would have limited benefits for
> > significant added complexity.
> >
> Is this a difficult task?
The "benefits" you have given seem trivial compared with the work in
making software, with the functionality of exim, sendmail etc, coexist.
> Isn't Debian already has a /etc/alternatives/ mechanism?
AIUI all the targets of /etc/alternatives are all installed at the
same time, and can be simultaneously run without conflicting with
each other. The links merely select which target is run (and
documented) by invoking a name, like "www-browser" (→ lynx for me),
"awk" (gawk) or "rename" (the Perl one). I might be running firefox,
mawk and rename.ul (by their specific name) at the same time as the
"default" versions.
Cheers,
David.
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