On Thu, 2002-05-09 at 01:09, Glen Lee Edwards wrote: > Ron writes: > > [snip] > >A Debian policy-that-I-think-is-a-quirk: there is the the concept > >of the meta-package. mail-transport-agent is an example. When, > >for example, you install exim, mail-transport-agent is also > >installed. If you want to install postfix to test it out, apt > >will remove exim, since the exim & postfix packages are both > >members of the same meta-package. It won't let me manage > >inetd.conf to make sure that 2 different programs are combating > >for the same port. > > Not sure I'm following what you mean. Are you trying to get inetd to read > queries to the port, and based on the query determine which program to open? > I > don't think you can do that. Technically it's possible, but based on Internet > standards my understanding is that specific ports are designed for specific > programs (protocols). And trying to get inetd to pick between exim and > postfix > based on the incoming packets I would think would require a complete rewrite > of > inet. > > I may have totally missed what you're trying to say.
Must have. But, that's why I'm not a teacher! On mandrake (the one I know), I can "rpm -ihv" exim and postfix. Of course, like you say, 2 progs can't use the same port. So, I'd have 2 lines in inetd.conf for smtp: one each for exim and postfix. Then, I'd comment out, say, exim, and NOHUP inetd to run postfix. So, I can run exim or postfix depending on what's commented out in inetd.conf. No problem. Debian won't let you do that. A beauty of the meta-package is that (staying with the MTA example), if a package requires an MTA, but doesn't care _which_ MTA, the package developer simply requires mail-transport-agent, instead of exim|postfix|sendmail|blahblah. Also more flexible if someone packages a new MTA. All he must do it add it as a member of mail-transport-agent, instead of changing the requirements of each package that requires an MTA. -- +------------------------------------------------------------+ | Ron Johnson, Jr. Home: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Jefferson, LA USA http://ronandheather.dhs.org:81 | | | | You ask us the same question every day, and we give you | | the same answer every day. Someday, we hope that you will | | believe us... | | Donald Rumsfeld, to a reporter | +------------------------------------------------------------+ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
