Changing from Exim to QMail makes package manager unhappy

bonf · 11-08-2003, 04:09 AM

Hi, I've just recently changed from red hat to debian, so this is probably a total newbie question:

When I delete the exim package I lose the mail-transport-agent, and hence have to force the package manager to keep cron.

But how do I tell the package manger that it has a mail-transport-agent? I'm compiling qmail from source, and made some changes to it, so how can i 'link' this to the package manager as the mail-transport-agent?

Any suggestions welcome,

Bonf.

ToniT · 11-16-2003, 09:25 AM

Do not remove your only MTA just yet.

Easiest way to install qmail(it has a crippled lisence that prevents it to be distributed as a binary <Moral statement> You should not use it.</Moral statement>), is to

install debian package called qmail src. (by command "apt-get install qmail-src").
Run command "build-qmail" and follow the instructions on the screen. It do gives you a change to apply your own patches and do changes to the source.
Install the package that gets generated

This version of qmail has its filesystem structure adjusted for debian and some other debian spesific tricks put in place. As for an answer to your original question: In case someone have not prepackaged such a source package as in qmail case, the dependencies can be circumvented by using equivs package. see Apt-howto for details.

2damncommon · 11-16-2003, 11:41 AM

Qmail debs available here.

bonf · 11-17-2003, 04:23 AM

Thanks toni,

it helped

Even managed to patch the source with the stuff i needed. As to the morals of source-only distribution i agree. Th eoriginal intention might have been to make sure everybody understands what they're installing, but as only a handful of people know whats going on in the qmail source, its no use, just a lot of hassle.