I for some reason now have attempted to install RHEL 6 x86_64 from the DVD .iso and keep getting useless packages I don't want and or need like:

- Postfix
- SQLite
- MySQL-libs

I was wondering what is causing something 'Postfix' to be installed? I'm trying to get this server up and running with a specific set of packages installed but I can't understand the RHEL dependencies. Since this server will be managed on a DoD network and our Postfix server is authorized but on our accredited DMZ network. This server isn't authorized to have Postfix installed. I know I can remove it manually but this leaves a trail of users and orphaned packages.

Can anyone please help me? I'm recommending Debian Linux but my boss wants to keep this on RHEL.

This is one of those times that your subscription fee pays for itself. Contact RH and ask them.

I called and the technician advices me:

"Postfix is part of the base install" and I reply:

"No. No it's not."

I can't see how you can say having a minimal basic RHEL install requires a Postfix mail server. So after debating this with him, he says:

"You can just un-install it" where I then hung up because sadly that leaves tons of orphaned files and stuff on a freshly created server. Seems like a lazy excuse to me.

Hi carlosinfl,

i dont know weather you are familiar or not familiar with this...

while installing you will have the options called 1)customize now and 2)create custom layout

go to customize now and select the options what ever you want to install..and remaining unselect..


---N. SAI VARA PRASAD RAO

I think the postfix issue is this: normally every server has an smtp server on it, just to communicate within itself (as a bare minimum) eg if cron has an issue, it would normally email the cron job's owner and/or root user.
Until recently, the default on RHEL (& many others) was sendmail.
However, according to this http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/...x_Email_Server
it would seem they've switched to postfix instead.

Yes as I explained this was exactly what I did but to my surprise it still installs an MTA which in fact is Postfix. Even if you de-select the package, it's a dependant of Cron. I don't think you can install any Linux distribution w/o Cron.