On Apr 14, 2012, at 15.55, Wietse Venema wrote:
> The alternatives that I see are
>
> a) Spam every address class description with text that virtual alias
> mappings are class-agnostic. Then we would also have to mention
> canonical_maps,and other class-agnostic mechanisms.
on one hand, this might be less desirable due to the potential for repetition,
but if it could be concise enough, that might outweigh the negatives. maybe
something like this?:
[...]
The relay domain class.
[... existing text ...]
• The class-agnostic mechanisms used by this address class are
virtual_alias_maps and canonical_maps.
The default domain class.
[...]
i do like the idea of there being a reference to this in ADDRESS_CLASS_README,
because it seems to often serve as a natural reference for this topic, but not
knowing the comprehensive list of mechanisms which would apply to each class,
this may just not be practical.
> b) Describe the virtual alias lookup behavior in the text that
> defines virtual alias lookups, i.e. virtual(5). If anyone uses
> virtual aliasing then they are more likely to look there.
i'm not certain the placement is ideal, but a note at the end of the VIRTUAL
ALIAS DOMAINS section?:
[...]
VIRTUAL ALIAS DOMAINS
[... existing text ...]
Note: virtual_alias_maps is not used solely for domains listed in vir‐
tual_alias_domains. Addresses listed in virtual_alias_maps can refer‐
ence domains found in address classes other than the virtual alias
domain class, unless of course the domain is listed in vir‐
tual_alias_domains.
REGULAR EXPRESSION TABLES
[...]
your use of the term "class-agnostic" prompted me to think about the various
parameters themselves, and the particular characteristics of each. maybe
another alternative would be to call this characteristic out in postconf(5),
where appropriate for a given parameter? i.e.:
[...]
virtual_alias_maps (default: $virtual_maps)
Optional lookup tables that alias specific mail addresses or domains to other
local or remote address. The table format and lookups are documented in
virtual(5). For an overview of Postfix address manipulations see the
ADDRESS_REWRITING_README document. This parameter is address class agnostic.
[...]
-ben
